Mother
by SetoJouFan
Summary: What if someone took Naruto in when he was a child? What if he had a mother? This is a story featuring an OC taking care of Naruto when he is a child and following up until he becomes a gennin. Watch as they meet the other chars too!Has Violence Swearing
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: Don't own Naruto and I doubt I could keep it going as long as it has if I did.**

**Warnings: OCs, violence, swearing, and probably more….**

***Line***

The town of Konoha was bustling with the normal daily activities of shinobi and citizens alike. Store owners were selling their wares and mothers were shopping for groceries. It was a peaceful scene. One kunoichi observed this as she walked down the streets. She had long dark brown hair that reached to the middle of her back and electric blue eyes. Her outfit consisted of a black V-neck dress that reached mid-thigh. There were slits on the sides that went up to her hips and the sleeves that slanted passed her hands. She wore dark blue shorts that reached her knees and a matching ribbon tied around her waist. There were many hidden weapons concealed within her clothing and she wore her leaf headband proclaiming her a ninja on her head.

She had finished training a while ago and decided to explore the town before heading home. The rest of her teammates had gone home immediately after they finished up their D rank mission leaving her to train for a couple hours by herself before deciding to go eat something. Barely caring about her destination, she made her way into the more run down part of town. No one paid her any mind as she scanned the buildings. Civilians tended to recognize who were shinobi even if they wore civilian clothes and usually they left the shinobi alone. It didn't matter what rank they were they were able to be recognized and avoided. This was mostly because even a genin could take down a civilian and the civilians respected them. A ruckus in one of the alley ways caught her attention. Curiously she went to observe what was happening. What she saw caused her blood to boil.

A child around six or younger was being hit on by a couple of civilian teens. All of them were twice his size and sporting evil grins. The child had blond hair that was dirty, cerulean blue eyes, and six whisker marks on his face. He wore a baggy white shirt and faded orange shorts. The teens were cursing at him and making fun of him. They laughed as he whimpered and curled into himself. The kunoichi stalked up to them and lowered her voice into a dangerous growl and asked, "What is going on here?" Everyone froze at her tone including the blond child.

"Mind your own business girly," One of the braver teens snarled at her. Before she could comment one of his friends tugged at his sleeve.

"Dude she's a shinobi!" he exclaimed. The guy only rolled his eyes.

"So?"

"So she could tell someone what we were doing!"

"It's only the demon-child," the guy retorted. Before the guy finished his sentence, though, the kunoichi punched him in the gut.

"Don't ever say that again," she growled at him. The guy was winded and crouched over. His friends helped steady him. "Now get out of here before I report you to the hokage." The teens fled taking her threat seriously. It was well known that the hokage did not like it when the citizens hurt anyone especially each other without good cause. The kunoichi turned towards the child who looked at her warily. "Are you okay?" she asked her voice softer. The child nodded. "If you're sure…" Again the child nodded his head. "Okay, I'm just going to head home then." The child looked saddened. "Hey don't be like that! I'll see you around sometime! Next time we can play and do whatever you want, okay? What's your name anyways?"

"Naruto…" the boy replied shyly.

"That's a great name!" the kunoichi told him. "My name's Kaya. How about we do something fun next time?" Naruto nodded his head excitedly making Kaya smile fondly. She then ruffled his hair causing him to giggle. "Now run along I have to go home and start dinner. I'll look out for you tomorrow, okay?" Naruto nodded his head in understanding. "See ya squirt."

"Bye!" Naruto called out waving his hand excitedly. Kaya waved goodbye.

On her way home Kaya picked up a few groceries for a simple dinner. Tonight's dinner would be miso soup and smoked salmon with rice balls. It was usually her job to make dinner for the family and to buy the groceries. Kaya got into the habit of making a big dinner so in the morning everyone in her family could reheat it and eat that. It was a good system especially when members of her family were out working or with friends. It wasn't long before she arrived home. Setting the groceries in the refrigerator Kaya went into the living room and prayed in front of a picture. The picture was of a woman with light brown hair and chocolate brown eyes. She was dressed in a simple light yellow civilian dress.

"Hello okaa-san," Kaya whispered to the picture. "As you can see I just got home. Kenishi has guard duty tonight so it's just Akira and I tonight. I hope you are doing well in heaven. So far nothing particularly interesting has happened today. I did meet some kid named Naruto today though. Some assholes were picking on the chidlin **(1)**! Other than that all I did was a few D rank missions that were really easy and trained by myself. My teammates were as annoying as usual and our sensei gave up scolding them once again. I still wish you were here even though it's been two years since you died…Anyways I better get started on dinner. Goodnight!"

Heading into the kitchen Kaya began to make dinner. Her mother had taught her how to before she died so she could do the basics, and every now and then she would ask the mothers in the neighborhood for other recipes. There weren't a lot of people she could test them on so she wasn't sure if they were the greatest meals. Usually her two older brothers, Akira and Kenishi, would just eat and not give any comments. Considering they would eat anything when they were hungry she figured they weren't reliable sources and she knew her own opinion would be bias. After a while dinner was made. Kaya set the table for herself and left room for Akira. She knew he would be back soon since his mission was completed and he had signed into the log book. One of the gate guards told her so when she asked. Usually he would be back while she was just finishing her meal.

"Anything good?" a voice asked as she was in the middle of her meal. Kaya turned to look at her brother Akira. He was the oldest at nineteen and a recently promoted jounin. Akira had the same dark brown hair as Kaya that was short and spiky but instead of electric blue he had green eyes with hints of grey.

"Just some smoked salmon and miso soup. I was training late," Kaya replied.

"That's fine," he told her. It became silent as he sat down to eat. No conversation continued between them but it was a comfortable silence. Soon Kaya was finished with her meal. Picking up her plates she took them to the sink and began doing dishes. Once Akira was done with his meal he brought over his plates for her to wash. Nodding her head at him she did his dishes. Looking at the clock she noticed it was around nine in the evening. _'Better go to bed,'_ Kaya thought. Quickly Kaya changed into her pajamas, brushed her teeth, and went to bed. It wasn't long before she was fast asleep dreaming of going on more dangerous missions and becoming one of the top ninja.

In the morning Kaya woke up groggy and didn't want to get out of bed. She resisted the temptation of her warm, inviting bed though and got up. Kaya had disciplined herself enough to get up on time no matter how tired she was. Pinching her thighs and arms she slowly became more aware. Picking out her clothes for the day Kaya headed for the only shower in the house and got ready to start another day. Her outfit was similar to the one she wore the day before except she had silver shorts and ribbon. Each day was a different color ribbon and shorts. Quickly she washed herself in lukewarm water and brushed her teeth. When she finished in the bathroom the clock turned five in the morning. Reheating her dinner from last night Kaya dug into her breakfast before she was out the door.

She ran to the training fields eager to start training before her teammates showed up and they had to go spar or do whatever else their sensei wanted them to do. Kaya stuck to a strict schedule in order to get better quicker. She wanted to contribute more to the village than a few D rank missions every other day. Her dream was to be one of the top ninja preferably an ANBU operative. First she practiced with throwing kunai at the target while she moved. Then she worked a bit on stretching and then strengthening her body with push-ups and sit ups. Around eight the rest of her team made it to the training grounds as she finished practicing her ninjutsu. Their sensei was the last to arrive.

Her teammates consisted of two boys named Suzuki Masao and Watanabe Eiji. Masao was fairly tall with short, spiky red hair and light brown eyes. He was the most muscular one in their group, although he wasn't bulging with muscles they still showed. He usually wore a green t-shirt with tan pants. Eiji was only a couple inches taller than Kaya. He had medium length blond hair that was usually held back by a black bandana. Usually he wore a black hoodie with a white tank top underneath and dark red shorts. His eyes were a forest green that held golden specks. They worked fairly well together. If one of them had a weakness the other two would cover it creating a well-rounded team.

"Alright kids today we will be working on water walking and if you master that quickly we'll move on to Taijutsu training," their sensei announced. One of her teammates groaned and the other sighed. Kaya kept her mouth shut and didn't complain like the other two did. She knew that it was a fundamental technique that they had to learn before moving on to stronger jutsus. They all stumbled at first however Kaya was the first one to get it. She understood the basic principles which made it a lot easier. Masao was able to perform it shortly after her. The only one to struggle with it was Eiji who kept falling into the water instead of walking on top of it. Thankfully they had all rolled up their pants and taken off their shoes and socks. After two hours with no results from Eiji their sensei told Kaya and Masao to spar while Eiji continued practicing. Kaya gave some pointers before going off to spar with Masao.

For a few minutes Kaya and Masao stared at each other neither of them daring to move. A slight twitch of Masao's fingers was the only indication that he was about to throw his kunai. Kaya saw this and jumped back. She made a clone of herself. In sync Kaya and the clone threw shurikens at Masao who deflected them with another of his kunai. They rushed him with Kaya heading towards his right and the clone going in towards the left. Masao threw a kunai at Kaya thinking she was the clone and then went to face off with the clone. Kaya dispersed her clone and kicked Masao in the lower back. That caused him to lurch forward before he caught his balance and punched at Kaya. She blocked with her arm and went to punch him in the gut. It hit him but there wasn't enough force to knock the wind out of him.

They kept using Taijutsu against each other until Kaya jumped back and made the hand signs needed to produce a small gust of air. The wind knocked Masao back momentarily however he recovered quickly and threw a fireball back. Neither one of them could gain an advantage over the other long enough to win. Scratches and bruises multiplied but they kept fighting. At two in the afternoon their sensei finally told them to stop sparring. The match ended in a draw which neither of them were happy about. Kaya had wanted to win a match against Masao for once instead of it always ending up in a draw. It made her think that she was weak and that all the training she put herself through wasn't good enough.

"Okay, listen up," their sensei said gruffly. "You all have a long way to go until I permit any C-rank missions. You guys are definitely not chunin level yet. Eiji work on your chakra control and keep practicing. I better see some improvement by the end of the week. Otherwise you'll get the most difficult workout of your life. Masao you keep relying on your brute strength and big flashy jutsus. Try to at least build up endurance if you cannot find more tactile maneuvers. Also be more aware of your surroundings. Kaya quit trying to show off. Also work on your genjutsu it needs a lot of work. Dismissed." Their sensei was harsh and never told them how to improve nor praised them for what they did well on. He left immediately after criticizing them.

"So do either of you want to hang out?" Eiji inquired once their sensei was gone. Kaya shook her head in response. Masao just walked away without replying.

"Sorry I have something else to do," Kaya told him apologetically.

"What do you have to do?" Eiji asked. "Maybe I can help."

"I have to meet with a friend of mine and I don't want to be late. Maybe some other time we can do something. I promised them that I would see them today though and I don't go back on my word."

"Sure! That's fine I understand."

Kaya waved goodbye and headed towards the last place she saw Naruto. He seemed like a nice kid and she wanted to check up on him and make sure no one else was picking on him. A few civilians were walking around the area when she arrived. That didn't put her off, as she searched for Naruto. Some people glared at her when she asked where he was and some cursed at her. She disregarded what they said with ease. Their opinions didn't matter to her as long as she could find out the information she wanted. Eventually Kaya found Naruto sitting in the park by himself. All the other children avoided him if they even noticed his presence. Kaya walked over and squatted next to him. "So squirt, how's it going?" Kaya casually asked. Naruto jumped up at her sudden entrance.

"It's great!" Naruto said closing his eyes. Kaya knew he was lying but decided not to call him out on it.

"Is there anything you want to do?" Kaya asked. "I have plenty of time to hang out today. Besides I promised that we could do something together after all."

"Really? You would play with me?" Naruto asked surprised.

"Of course! Now what do you want to do?" Kaya replied cheerfully.

"Can you push me on the swings?" Naruto inquired. Kaya noticed there was no one over there.

"Sure," Kaya told him. Naruto jumped up happily and sprinted to the swings. Kaya chuckled at his actions and followed at a slower more sedate pace. Naruto was practically vibrating in his seat. "Make sure you have a good grip," Kaya reminded him. He nodded his head in understanding. Kaya then began pushing him high into the air. Naruto felt the wind on his face as he laughed joyously. This lasted until the sun started to set. Slowly Kaya stopped pushing Naruto. "You should probably get home soon," Kaya commented. Naruto nodded sadly then his stomach growled. He blushed. "How about I buy you dinner first?" Naruto brightened immediately. He didn't want Kaya to leave yet and the prospect of food was doubly tempting.

"Ramen!" Naruto exclaimed immediately. Kaya ruffled his hair.

"Sure, do you have a favorite restaurant?"

"Ichiruka's," Naruto replied.

"Well lead the way. I'll follow right behind you."

"You're really going to buy me dinner?" Naruto asked. Kaya nodded her head. It saddened her to see him so suspicious of her because she knew that meant someone had tricked him before.

"Don't worry I'll pay for your dinner. I got my money this week so it's all good."

"Yay! Ichiruka's ramen is the best! The old man who runs it is really nice to! Sometimes he gives me a bit extra if I'm really good."

"That's nice of him. He sounds like a good man."

"He is!"

They chatted all the way to Ichiruka's. Kaya learned that Naruto's favorite color was orange and he absolutely adored ramen. He also planned to be Hokage when he got older in order to protect the village. Naruto in turn learned that Kaya's favorite color was red and she loved any flavor of pocky or sushi. Also he learned of her desire to be one of the best ninjas ever. Naruto told her that when he was Hokage she could be his top guard if she wanted. Kaya smiled and told him she would gladly accept. It was a nice chat and Naruto became even more talkative as he began to trust Kaya more. She would listen attentively and give her own advice during certain intervals or lulls in the conversation. They only paused their conversation when they reached Ichiruka's.

Ichiruka's was a small ramen stand that was on one of the side roads that was used most often. It gave off a warm atmosphere which Kaya appreciated. There were a few tables that could fit about six people and a counter with seven stools. They headed towards the counter. The old man Naruto talked about greeted them with a smile. "How can I help you?" he asked once they sat down. Naruto and Kaya both thought about their orders for a while before answering.

"I would like a big bowl of beef ramen with extra vegetables please," Kaya told him politely.

"One large miso ramen for me!" Naruto told him. The old man chuckled.

"Alright your orders will be done in a few minutes," he told them. Naruto fidgeted in his stool impatiently. He couldn't wait to taste his ramen.

"I take it you come here often to eat?" Kaya casually asked.

"Of course! He's one of the few people who allow me into their restaurant," Naruto replied. He didn't notice his slip but Kaya did. She froze in her seat after hearing that.

"Really now?"

"Yup, for some reason the other villagers don't like me…I don't know why either!"

"They're just jealous of your adorable looks," Kaya told him playfully. "They all wish their children were as cute as you are." Naruto pouted at her which made her laugh internally.

"I am _not_ adorable," he stated.

"So you say. I, however, have a different opinion and think you're very adorable."

Before they could continue bantering Teuchi, the owner, brought out their ramen. "Enjoy," he told them before going back to work in the back and giving them some privacy. Naruto immediately dug in with much gusto. He slurped up the noodles very quickly and Kaya wondered if he could taste anything a at all. She ate at a more sedate pace taking her time to savor the flavor. When Naruto was done with his first bowl he asked Kaya if he could have another one. She told him he could have up to three bowls of ramen. Naruto cheered and demanded another bowl.

After they were done eating Kaya offered to take Naruto home. He seemed reluctant but allowed her to do so after she told him she would follow him anyways to make sure he was safe. They walked in silence neither of them wanting to break the quiet serenity of the night. Eventually they reached an old, run-down apartment that needed a lot of repairs. The paint was peeling and trash was thrown all around the building. Kaya was surprised that people lived in such a place. It reminded her of her brother Kenishi's room after a week of no cleaning. Naruto led her to one of the apartment doors and opened it, shocking Kaya. She knew this place wasn't fit for a child.

Naruto's apartment was small and bare. He had the minimum amount of furniture possible. Trash was scattered around everywhere. There were no pictures or anything of sentimental value around. Kaya wondered how he could live like this. She didn't think anyone should live the way Naruto seemed to be living. "Where are your parents?" Kaya asked after a while. She had not heard him mention any nor did she see signs of any in this small apartment. Naruto looked dejected.

"I don't have any," he told her. Kaya was shocked but at the same time it made sense. She didn't mean to bring up bad memories for him. Looking around the room she made up her mind.

"How about I be your mother?"

***Line***

**TBC!**

**Okay so this is all I have so far. I don't think it's a bad start. I'm not sure how far this will go but I plan to at the least skim until Naruto becomes a gennin. Hope you like it! (Btw I plan to have Kaya date someone in the future preferably someone older like Iruka, Kakashi, or so forth give me ideas!)**

**(1)- This is just something I call children all the time. It's a habit I got from my mother.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: Don't own Naruto and I doubt I could keep it going as long as it has if I did.**

**Warnings: OCs, violence, swearing, and probably more….**

**BTW I know her wanting to be his mother is sudden but I'm basing her off of my personality a bit. When I was ten I was taking care of children younger than me and mothering them. (I could also cook for myself when I was 8ish) I was also rather outspoken and hated those who picked on others.**

***Line***

"What?" Naruto stuttered out shocked.

"I could be your mother," Kaya stated. "I know how to cook and clean so that won't be a problem. Also I have a fairly steady income depending on how many missions my team takes. You don't have to necessarily _see_ me as a mother but I would try my best to be one for you."

"You would really do that?" he asked with his eyes wider than watermelons. Kaya nodded her head yes.

"Of course, I wouldn't suggest it unless I really meant it," Kaya assured him. Naruto smiled at her before jumping and tackling her in a hug.

"So you'll take me to school and tuck me in at night and all that other stuff mothers do?"

"Yup! Although, I probably won't live with you for a while. I can't officially take you in yet since I'm too young and am only a gennin but when I'm older I should be able to," Kaya explained. She wished she would be able to take him in now but unless she had legal documentation it would be considered kidnapping. Kenishi would also get really angry with her if she suddenly brought him home. She couldn't live with him yet for the same reason. Naruto did a little dance at the fact that Kaya would be his mother only to stop when he heard she couldn't live with him.

"Why can't you live with me?" Naruto asked.

"My brothers wouldn't allow it yet," Kaya explained. "Although I can be over as much as you want so it'll be like I live with you. I can make breakfast for you and wake you up. On the weekends I'll clean, and at night I can tuck you in."

"Does that mean you'll love me?"

"Always."

"Will you always be there?"

"I promise to try my best to and if I'm not there immediately I'll race there as fast as I can."

"Why would you want to be my mother?" Naruto then asked self-consciously. Now that he was over the hype of her suggesting it he was curious and cautious. No one had ever wanted to take him in before. _'I really need to work on his self-esteem'_ Kaya thought sadly, hiding her disgust at the people who caused him to question such things.

"You're a cute kid and I've grown fond of you," Kaya replied. It was the truth after all. There was just something about him that she couldn't ignore. "Now it's getting late and young shinobi to be should be getting to bed." Naruto pouted at her cutely. "Don't pull that look on me. Children need supposedly nine to ten hours of sleep a day. If I wake you up at six then you need to go to bed at nine."

"Six?" Naruto asked shocked.

"Yeah, that's the perfect time to start training. You're lucky I'm waking you up then. Usually I get up around four thirty. Also I usually meet up with my teammates around eight o'clock and I know the civilian school opens around seven thirty. This gives us a chance to practice by ourselves," Kaya explained.

"You plan to train me?"

"Well yeah. I can't have my child being defenseless especially if they want to be a shinobi. Besides you want to be Hokage so it's best to start training you now." Naruto nodded his head in agreement. He wanted to be the best so it made sense that he would have to train earlier than normal.

"Can you sing me a lullaby?" Naruto asked timidly as he led Kaya towards his room in order to tuck him in.

"I _suck_ at singing, however, I can hum you a lullaby," Kaya told him. He beamed at her glad that she wasn't mad with his request. Crawling into his bed he waited patiently. Kaya took her cue and tucked him into bed giving him a soft peck on the forehead. She then began to hum until his eyes drooped and he fell asleep. Not trusting his apartment's security Kaya set up a few traps near the windows and front door before she silently left. It surprised her that she took to Naruto so quickly but her emotions she labeled "motherly instincts" screamed at her to take him under her wing. "Mom did always say I would make a great mother," she muttered to herself.

Silently she walked home taking her sweet time. Not many places were open and those that were generally were bars and other such places. The night air did not bother her nor did the dangers of walking alone at night. Kaya truthfully preferred the night because of these things. She would admit to herself that she always felt hyperaware at night and that the day time lulled her senses. When she reached her house it was quiet and the lights were all out. Slipping into the house it did not surprise her when the lights flashed on suddenly. Her brother, Kenishi, was standing by the light switch. "Where were you?" Kenishi asked sternly.

"I was with a friend and we lost track of time," Kaya replied.

"And what about dinner?"

"I ate out with my friend. We had ramen together at Ichiruka's."

"You didn't think to leave a note for Akira or me? What about us? Did you think about what we would do, or how worried we would be?"

"I am not your maid. Just because I generally make dinner doesn't mean I have to do so. Besides I figured you were still on guard duty for the rest of the week and would eat out."

"We allow you to live in this house you should pull your own weight," Kenishi told her sternly. Kaya scowled at him. They had never gotten along and she doubted they ever would. He was to controlling for her to ever be on good terms with. Sadly it was common behavior that had intensified after their mother's death and she couldn't do anything about it until she moved out.

"One meal isn't going to kill you," Kaya retorted. She then began to walk away but Kenishi grabbed her wrist.

"And where do you think you're going now?" he demanded.

"To bed. I have to wake up early to make breakfast after all," Kaya replied. Kenishi let her go without another word but a scowl was present on his face. Akira who was hiding in the shadows gave her shoulder a comforting squeeze. He never approved of Kenishi's methods and would try to help her when Kenishi was being too harsh on or controlling of her. She gave Akira a small smile before heading to bed. Kaya appreciated his comfort.

In the morning Kaya got dressed quickly and rushed to prepare breakfast. She made enough for her brothers, Naruto, and herself. Breakfast consisted of omelets stuffed with cheese and mushrooms with sausage on the side. Putting them all into packages Kaya left her brothers' share in the refrigerator and took hers and Naruto's with her. Kaya looked through the morning market briefly and decided to buy some groceries for Naruto's apartment. She also bought an orange stuffed cat with a green bow wrapped around its neck. Around five forty she was finished shopping. Jumping onto the roofs Kaya ran towards Naruto's apartment avoiding the early morning crowds. She made sure to disable the traps she had set up before walking in.

First Kaya used the oven to heat up her and Naruto's breakfasts. Then she tidied up a bit before going into Naruto's room to wake him. Naruto was curled up in his bed with his pillow clutched to his chest. Gently Kaya shook Naruto's shoulder. "Naruto, it's time to wake up," she whispered. Naruto burrowed into his covers and grumbled under his breath. "Come on. It's six o'clock, the sun is out, and breakfast is done." The mention of breakfast helped stir Naruto awake.

"Kaya?" he mumbled.

"Yes, Naruto?"

"What are we having?" he asked

"Omelets with sausage," she replied.

"No ramen?" He pouted at her as he arose from his bed sluggishly.

"That's not healthy to have for every meal. Maybe for dinner I can buy you some depending on how my missions go today."

"Yay! Thank you Kaya!"

"Yeah, yeah you're welcome. Now hurry up and get dressed after we eat I'll start training you." Naruto jumped out of bed and rushed to get dressed while Kaya went and set the table. A few minutes later Naruto emerged from his room dressed in clothing similar to the ones she first saw him in. They ate quickly with Naruto asking questions about training through bites of food. Kaya gave some vague answers if she replied at all. She didn't want to give too much away. When they were done they put their dishes in the sink so they could be washed later.

Kaya made Naruto run all the way to the training field to gauge his speed and endurance. He was panting and slightly out of breath when they arrived. She had made him run at top speed after all. The run had not bothered her since she had long been used to it. "Alright, first of all we will start with taijutsu. Even if you run out of chakra or close to it you can always rely on taijutsu. I will teach you different styles and see which ones fit you the most. You will learn to master a couple different styles. This is because it is best to be unpredictable and by learning different styles you can then put them together to create a style unique to you," Kaya explained once she knew she had Naruto's full attention.

"What style are you teaching me today?" Naruto inquired tilting his head to the side. Kaya beamed at him for this. She was glad he was asking questions since it assured her he was interested. It also showed that he was paying attention to what she said.

"Today will be the academy's taijutsu since you start next year, right?" Kaya responded. Naruto nodded his head. "So it's an advantage for you to learn it as soon as possible so you can perfect it before you go." He seemed pleased with her answer.

At first she had to correct Naruto's form many times otherwise he would have hurt himself with how bad is form was. After a while, though he began to pick it up. Kaya praised him on his form and was reluctant to stop the session. Naruto had to go to school though and she had to meet with her team soon. When Kaya told Naruto to stop practicing he pouted. She promised him they would continue after school let out at two. They agreed to meet at that training ground because Kaya had missions to do that day and wouldn't be able to pick him up from school.

Walking to the civilian school, that was there so civilians and shinobi could learn the basics, Kaya let Naruto talk about himself. He told her about the classes he had and how mean all the other kids were. Kaya gave him some advice but told him it was also situational. She said to be on his best behavior and be extra nice to everyone. It was all she could do since she didn't know the full situation. When they arrived at the school Naruto was reluctant to leave her side. She gave him a hug and told him that she would see him after school and not to worry about anything. He nodded his head in agreement and headed into the school. Kaya watched this with a fond smile on her face. Checking the time she decided to run to the training grounds before she was late for their meeting.

"Wow, you sure are late for once," Eiji commented surprised.

"What are you talking about? There are five more minutes left until the official meeting time," Kaya replied confused. She would know if she was late as her internal clock would be yelling at her.

"Yeah, but you're usually the first one here. You're even earlier than Masao-kun who gets here twenty minutes early!" Eiji told her.

"As long as I'm on time it's okay. Besides now I have a child to look after so I'll probably arrive around this time from now on. Speaking of which, I demand you two start getting along and acting like a team. I know you two dislike each other but you need to cooperate. I believed you two could figure that out for yourselves but now that I have a kid you need to get your acts together. I need the money from these missions to support him so buck up," Kaya sternly told them. Both Masao and Eiji stared at her in shock.

"Since when did you have a kid?" Masao asked after he snapped out of his shock.

"Since about yesterday," Kaya replied. "I did mention that I had something else to do yesterday." Eiji gaped at her still stunned.

"Aren't you too young to adopt a kid?" Eiji asked in disbelief.

"Well it's not official yet but technically since I'm a shinobi I am mostly seen as an adult by law. All that is stopping me is the income needed to provide for him. I'm still planning on taking care of him though until I can do so officially," Kaya explained. "Anyways enough about the whole kid thing. Today is mission day so let's do as many jobs as possible, alright?" She made sure her last word sounded as threatening as possible. Both boys nodded their heads in agreement as a chill went down their spines. Their sensei observed this in amusement. He was hoping they would get their acts together for weeks now. They could complete missions but they took longer than needed due to unnecessary arguments and fights. Mostly it was the two boys since Kaya avoided talking to them unless necessary.

They ended up taking three D rank missions. The first involved repainting some elderly woman's house. She was too old to do it herself and had no one else in her family to help her get the job done. Kaya was their representative when it came to talking to the elderly woman. She was polite and respectful towards her earning them light praise from the woman for their manners. Masao and Eiji quickly got the job done as they made clones of themselves. Next they had to gather up crops for one of the older farmers. He was a grumpy old man who complained about their work with each breath he took. They kept working though despite him complaining about their shoddy work. As they finished he told them they did alright for being 'snot nosed brats'. Finally they had to catch Tora, the fire Lady's cat who often escaped from its mistress. Kaya contemplated killing it once the little demon was captured but decided it wouldn't help in the long run so let it be.

Heading back to the mission's room they reported their successes with all of their assigned missions. The Hokage paid them accordingly for the level of work they did and Kaya was happy to note she had enough to buy Naruto some ramen for dinner. Lazily waving goodbye to her teammates, Kaya headed towards the training grounds. Nothing interested her as she ran towards the fields at full speed. This was normal though as she really only seemed to become happier when Naruto was around. As she arrived she noticed Naruto practicing by himself which pleased her. It made her proud to see him using the correct forms on top of it.

"Good job Naruto," Kaya said landing a few yards away from him. He jumped, surprised by the sudden arrival. "Your form is pretty good, not perfect mind you, but good for a beginner. Now you'll have to build up some endurance. Eventually I'll start adding weights to help with that along with strengthening your muscles. We'll also work on your spacial awareness and after you officially start the academy work on anything else that I believe you should know. I want to focus on your physical body first, but we're getting ahead of ourselves just talking about it."

"Do you have it all planned out?" Naruto asked awed.

"Only the basics. I'm still deciding on a lot of what I want to teach you especially since I don't know what you have an affinity for. Training someone takes a lot of time and planning like that, especially if you have to adjust it for each person. Anyways let's continue with our lesson." Kaya gave him a few extra tips before having him repeatedly go through the motions. She wanted the movements to be stored in his muscle memory so he could do it without thinking in a battle situation, while he did that Kaya practiced another form of taijutsu. She practiced her least favorite forms in order to get them down better. She would not allow herself any weaknesses like that. Kaya usually preferred moves that relied on speed rather than strength; however, she understood the benefits of both.

Hours later Kaya had them stop in order to have dinner. Naruto cheered as she led him to Ichiruka's for some miso ramen. She let him have two bowls of ramen before telling him the rest of her money would be saved for another day. Kaya also had to pay for the groceries for dinner for her brothers considering she only bought some for Naruto that morning. She didn't want a repeat of last night with Kenishi yelling at her again. Naruto was disappointed when Kaya took him home and ran to get the groceries for dinner. Kaya then explained that her brother was a jerk who would yell at her if she didn't do it. He asked why he couldn't live with her and Kaya explained how her brother usually shared the civilian's views and would probably persecute him. She wasn't strong enough to take on her brother yet and didn't want Naruto to get hurt because he met her older brother.

After making dinner for her brothers and getting the dishes done Kaya went back to Naruto's apartment. He begged her to tell him a story which she complied to easily. She told him of brave shinobi and warriors that she remembered listening to as a child. Of battles that took place in history and anything else she thought he would be interested in. With each word spoken, Naruto's eyes drooped lower and lower until they closed. Finishing up her last sentence Kaya picked him up and carried him to his bed. She placed the orange cat that she bought earlier in his grasp for him to find in the morning. Kissing his forehead gently she silently left the room.

During the next month Kaya adjusted to her new life with Naruto. She would wake up around four thirty and quickly get dressed, and begin making breakfast. This led to an increase in groceries as she used to just make dinner for her brothers and herself. After the food was done she would set her brother's share in the refrigerator and clean up the house or do dishes. Then she would take Naruto and hers share to his apartment. If it was really messy she would clean up before heating up their breakfast in the oven. At six she would wake him up and they would begin eating their meals. Usually conversations about their plans for the day would crop up as they ate their food. Setting the dishes to the side for later she would then take Naruto to the training ground and teach him something new or reinforce an older lesson.

A little after seven Kaya would take Naruto to school before meeting up with her teammates at the usual spot. Depending on the day they would either train while learning something new or go to the mission's office to get as many D rank missions as they could. Steadily her teammates' cooperation improved to the point of them actually getting along and talking before each day. Their sensei was proud of them and told them they could expect a C rank mission soon. He hadn't wanted to take one before because of their attitudes but figured they were ready for more complicated missions. Afterwards Kaya would meet Naruto on the training grounds again and train with him for hours. This improved both his fighting style and kept Kaya in good shape. Kaya would then either treat Naruto to ramen or make dinner for everyone quickly making sure to drop off the food at her house before eating with Naruto. She was very pleased with her schedule.

One day though Naruto asked something that reminded her as to why she couldn't officially take in Naruto. He asked why he never had lunch like the other children did or new clothes. "That's because I'm not rich nor do I make a lot of money. I could probably start making you some lunches every now and then but not every day yet. You see I have to help pay for the house my brothers and I live in, groceries, and I save the rest of my money in case of emergencies," Kaya explained grimly.

"Why would you have to help pay for all of that? Don't your parents pay for that stuff?" Naruto questioned her curiously. She had never talked about her parents but Naruto assumed they were the ones who took care of everything while Kaya was with him.

"I don't have parents," Kaya admitted. "My mother died a couple years ago due to some disease while my father is missing, presumed dead. My brothers and I take care of each other. For the most part my brothers take care of any expenses around the house we live in but every now and then I have to chip in. hey do make me pay for all the groceries though. My unofficial job is then to cook and clean since they both work all the time. Not that I'll admit it to Kenishi..."

"Why do you help me when you have so much to do?"

"Because I want to."

"Aren't I being a burden to you?"

"Not really. I just have to stretch my budget a little further and even if you were I don't really mind all that much."

"Is that why you haven't really adopted me yet?"

"Pretty much. I figured after I became a chuunin I could apply and have a better chance of being accepted. That and I could pay for more stuff for you." They sat there in silence together going over the conversation in their heads. Dinner time was quiet as Kaya made them stir-fry.

"I'll stop asking for things then..." Naruto mumbled after dinner.

"No, you don't have to do that. It'll just be a while before I can get it for you. I really don't mind."

"You don't have to do that!"

"So? I want to."

They continued to lightly bicker back and forth about it until they began to clean up. Naruto helped her with the dishes after she changed the subject to how school was going. Kaya showed him how to wash them properly so if she had a long term mission they wouldn't pile up as much. It would also teach him responsibility, at least according to her deceased mother it was a good way to make someone responsible. The atmosphere between them was warm and welcoming. It was all too soon when the clock struck ten and Naruto had to go to bed. Kaya tucked Naruto in as usual however this time Naruto mumbled, "Night mama..." before falling asleep. Kaya was surprised yet elated with that one sentence. She hoped he would start calling her that from now on and that it wasn't a fluke. She wanted to linger there for a while longer but she had to go home. She had to go back to the lonely, empty house and clean up plus cook their meals for in the morning.

The next morning when she arrived at Naruto's apartment she carried a huge cork board with pens and paper. A few people gave her odd stares on the way but she ignored them. She placed everything on Naruto's kitchen table and spread it out. Kaya then started her normal morning routine as she prepared breakfast and cleaned up anything left over from the night before. When Naruto woke up and saw the cork board he was confused. "What's that for?" he asked curiously.

"I figured we could write down our schedules on this cork board. Basically we would have a calendar to know where the other is," Kaya explained. "I figured it would be better to get in the habit now before either of us gets too busy. Next year you'll be starting the academy and soon I'll hopefully be on my way to becoming a chuunin.

"So I'll just have to look on the board and it'll tell you where you are?"

"For the most part if something comes up that I didn't predict it wouldn't be on there."

"What happens if you're late? Or something happens?"

"Then you can scold me as you see fit or check with the Hokage as to my condition. So do you want to help me decorate our calendar?"

"Yeah!"

In the end their calendar was orange and blue with scribbles of ramen and pocky. Neither of them were artists but they had fun with it. There were even swirls and zig zags all over the paper. The only thing slightly organized about it was the lines dividing everything and the dates. Having completed it they hung it up in the kitchen since they always walked through there. It was Saturday so they decided to play some games inside like blackjack and any board games they could find. Saturdays were usually the days they tended to relax a bit since both of them would have the day off. Kaya usually allowed him to sleep in until eight or nine depending on their plans for the day. Around eleven they would begin training but stop after a few hours. Saturdays were peaceful days.

"When are you going to teach me some really cool jutsus?" Naruto complained after a bit. He still trained hard in the taijutsu styles Kaya taught him but he wanted to do some big, epic finishing move.

"Patience. I'll teach you genjutsu in a couple more months...or well I'll try my best I know the theory behind it better than the practice...Anyways after that I'll go into some ninjutsu. Currently I just want you to build up strength, speed, and endurance first," Kaya told him calmly. She tried not to roll her eyes and laugh fondly. It was something Naruto had been bugging her about for weeks now. "Being a shinobi is not only using jutsus but having other skill in case they fail you. As a shinobi you should always have one or two back up plans even if they are last minute ones."

"But mama," Naruto whined. It was the first time since his mumbled goodnight that she had heard him say this. Kaya was pleasantly surprised he would call her this so soon, or well it seemed soon for her. It had only been a little over a month now since they met. She quickly recovered.

"No buts. I will teach you at my own pace," Kaya firmly stated. "While you have been doing well with taijutsu I still haven't introduced any weapons or anything. There is of course the basic kunai and shuriken throwing however I want to see if you have an aptitude for anything else."

"You mean I can start using weapons now?" Naruto asked wide eyed. That was one of his other complaints. He wanted to use a weapon saying he was ready to handle it.

"Yes," Kaya replied.

"What kinds of weapons will we be using? When do I start? I bet I'll be the best shinobi there is at the academy next year! When can we-" Naruto rambled on excitedly.

"Calm down Naruto," Kaya ordered gently. "First we'll go over kunai and shuriken. I'll teach you how to properly maintain, throw, and wield them. After you are far enough along with that I'll see about other weapons, okay? Also we can start training today." Kaya pulled out a few kunai from her pouches and handed them over to Naruto. Once she explained the proper way to maintain them she began telling him how to hold it. "Remember to keep a firm grip but not too tight in case you have to throw it at a moment's notice," she reminded him as she showed him the proper way to hold it. He nodded his head and tested it out. At first his moves were a bit clumsy and unsure but with Kaya's encouragement he became more confident. "You know where to aim when you're attacking, right?"

"Chest, arms, and legs," Naruto replied with a concentrated expression on his face.

"Close enough. Yes, those are the areas to aim for depending on the situation. If you want to only incapacitate them or injure them but not kill you would go for the legs, arms, or maybe the stomach. Medical help can stop them from dying from those wounds unless a vein is hit and can't get to them in time. Now if you have to kill them then the neck, chest, or head would be your targets. Usually people go for the chest because it's a bigger target and even if you miss your intended target by a few inches, like the heart, you can still hit something vital. Only go for the head or neck if you're sure of your aim, alright?" Kaya explained patiently.

"Okay! Naruto agreed nodding his head eagerly. Kaya could tell he didn't get everything but understood the basic gist of it so let it go.

"Now the basics of throwing are..."

Kaya told him how to throw it correctly and gave him a big target. It was a tree stump used for such purposes in the training grounds they often visited. She corrected all of his mistakes whenever they popped up. Soon he was able to hit the edge of the target. It took a couple hours but Kaya was pleased with the result. Naruto told her he would be perfect in no time. Kaya chuckled saying 'of course' and then decided to award him with miso ramen at Ichiruka's. Naruto cheered when she announced this and jumped on her as he hugged her to death. Kaya hugged back and they made their way over. She limited his ramen intake to four meals a week. She told him it was so he could have the proper nutrients to grow big and strong and a more balanced diet. He wasn't happy about that but he always forgot about it whenever she treated him. Laughing happily they were both content with the way things were.

***Line***

**TBC!**

**I hope everyone likes this. If you have any comments please tell me and tell me how I can improve! Once again I want to know who I should pair with Kaya. Granted it won't be for a while yet but I would like to maybe add hints and get a general idea. There is a poll up about it. Now if you haven't realized it yet Kaya is based off of my own personality. Please R&R!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: Don't own Naruto and I doubt I could keep it going as long as it has if I did.**

**Warnings: OCs, violence, swearing, and probably more….**

***Line***

"You mean we are finally going to have a C rank mission?" Eiji asked happily. Their sensei had told them to come early for some news. He announced their up in coming mission much to the teams delight. Despite previously saying they would have a C rank mission soon they were stuck doing D ranks for a while.

"Are you deaf?" their sensei asked annoyed. "Don't make me regret this. You three are finally working well enough that I feel you're ready for this mission. IF you mess this up you'll be stuck with D rank missions for the rest of your lives, got it?"

"Yes sir!" Eiji exclaimed enthusiastically.

"About time..." Masao muttered under his breath. He thought they deserved it a long time ago.

"So when do we meet and what sort of mission are we going to have?" Kaya inquired. She subtly glared at her two teammates for being disrespectful. In their group she was the most level headed member and the politest. Even if someone was rude she would be polite to them since that was how she was raised. She was usually the voice of reason also.

"Is it some really cool infiltration mission? Are we tracking something? Will it be dangerous?" Eiji asked excitedly. He was even more hyper than usual at the good news. Kaya thought he resembled Naruto and was therefore one of the few who could put up with him for long periods of time. Eiji tried the most patient person's sanity when he got going.

"This mission is an escort mission to one of the nearby villages within fire country. We will be meeting at the front gate by six o'clock in the morning tomorrow. This should only take a week if all goes well," their sensei told them as he ignored Eiji.

"Who are we escorting?" Kaya asked politely.

"A merchant and his daughter. They requested an escort due to the increase in bandits on the roads," their sensei explained.

"Is there any other information we should know?"

"Pack well and bring your own rations," he replied. There were no more questions asked so he dismissed them in order for them to prepare for their mission. Eiji looked at both Masao and Kaya expectantly. Both of them looked at him questioningly.

"Do you guys want to do anything to celebrate?" Eiji asked hopefully. He was always inviting them to hang out with him outside of their normal team gatherings.

"Might as well," Kaya replied shrugging her shoulders. "I have time until I have to pick up my charge from school."

"Yes!" Eiji cheered. He had been trying to get her to come with him for months along with Masao. Each time he asked her though she always rejected him for some reason. Most of the time it was due to her being with Naruto, who he didn't know. It surprised him that she agreed to go this time.

"If Kaya-chan, is coming then I might as well join in also," Masao said with a sigh. He never liked to be with Eiji alone since he couldn't stand his hyper personality. With Kaya coming it Masao figured it would be okay since Eiji would focus on Kaya.

"Really?" Eiji asked excitedly.

"If you keep pestering me about it I might change my mind," Masao told him.

"Where should we do? Where should we go?" Kaya politely cut in before Eiji could sulk or rant about Masao already telling them he was going.

"How about we get lunch somewhere?" Eiji proposed.

"That sounds good," Kaya told him.

"Sure," Masao agreed.

"Question now is, which restaurant should we go to?" Kaya asked. "I personally have no preferences and probably don't know that many good places to eat."

"How about a simple tea house? They sell small bakes goods and lighter foods that we could all enjoy," Masao suggested.

"No, we should take her to a restaurant that sells barbeque and other such foods," Eiji told him.

"Which restaurant can I get beef stir fry and some fried rice?" Kaya asked calmly.

"Neither of the places we want to go to usually serve stir fry," Masao replied. "However there is one restaurant that I know which does. It usually has a lot of traditional foods although you can get other dishes to."

"That sounds great," Kaya said before Eiji could comment. "Why don't you lead the way and we'll eat there?" Masao agreed and began to lead them through the crowd of people and towards their destination. Eiji would comment on some of the people around that he saw and tell jokes while they walked. Kaya humored him by laughing at the appropriate places even though they weren't always to her taste. When they arrived at the restaurant they were in a jovial mood. The restaurant Masao showed them was small yet very personable. It was clean with a nice atmosphere welcoming customers into the shop. A waitress immediately showed them to a booth and handed them menus to peruse. Quickly they picked their dishes and told the waitress their orders.

"So why wouldn't you know many good restaurants? Don't you go out to eat?" Eiji asked curiously once the waitress had left their table.

"Not really. It is much cheaper and easier to make dinner for the whole family than to go out to eat every night especially will all the different schedules," Kaya replied.

"So your mom makes dinner for you guys every night?" Eiji assumed.

"No, my mother has been dead for a couple years now and my father was declared deceased after going on a mission and not returning for months. I am the one who makes all the meals in my household," Kaya explained.

"Oh...I didn't know that," Eiji said unsure of what to say. He felt bad for bringing it up.

"That's fine. I never told you about it after all," Kaya assured him. "I don't mind at all."

"You seem to have a lot of responsibilities," Masao told her joining in the conversation. "From what I can tell you cook the meals, are raising a child that's not your own, and training to be a ninja. At our age no one else usually has to take on those responsibilities. It is rather amazing."

"Thank you...And you're right a lot of people are age are usually only in training for the job they want," Kaya agreed. "However I don't mind at all. Plus I would have eventually had to deal with these sorts of things later in life."

"Is there anything else you have to do?" Eiji inquired.

"The only other thing I do is clean the house and help pay rent otherwise no," Kaya replied. Eiji and Masao were surprised by this. They always knew she was more mature than most people their age but they never knew why. Hearing about all of her responsibilities put things into prospective and explained a lot about her personality. It had shocked them when she told them she had adopted a child a couple months ago. Now that they knew her other responsibilities they were even more surprised. She willingly took in the child despite all the work she did.

"How can you handle all of that?" Eiji asked still in shock.

"I set up schedules and times. My days usually start at four thirty when I get up to make breakfast and prepare for the new day. Then it varies day to day but a majority is spent training or with my son," Kaya responded. "After a while you just get used to it."

"Four thirty?" Eiji exclaimed. Even Masao was wide eyed. Both of them were asleep at that time. Eiji hated to get up in the mornings while Masao was an early rises but that just seemed too early for them.

"Yeah...I have to get up early if I want to accomplish everything. That or stay up late but I was always an early riser. Besides I go to bed at a reasonable hour so it's all okay," she assured them. Kaya changed the subject from her to the other two. She did not have a problem talking about her life but she was a private person. Each of them ended up learning something new about the others in their group. Masao grew up in a predominantly female family and hated anything girly because of it. He was glad Kaya was their third teammate because she wasn't as girly and focused more on the mission than inconsequential things like a lot of kunoichi did. Eiji had six other siblings but only two of them became ninjas like he did. The two who became ninjas were his role models and he wanted to make them proud.

They found it interesting to tell childhood stories and see the responses from the two who would listen to the tale. They paused when their meal came however they continued talking once the waitress left them alone. Once again Masao talked about his sisters. He told them how they tried to make him dress up like a little girl and would put make up on him when he was young. Masao also talked about how he knew more about females then he would ever care to know. The other two laughed as he said this. Eiji then told them about game night at his house. He went into details about how his older brothers would cheat, the girls would gang up on everyone, and it always ended with someone flipping the game board. Kaya was a little more reluctant to go after hearing such stories but she pulled a few good memories out. There was no denying that her family was strange as she told them how her brothers and her used to have chestnut wars and would pull out a camera from nowhere to catch someone's embarrassing moment. She told them about how her mom would dress her up in pretty dresses only for her brothers to drag her outside and wrestle in the dirt. Then she told them about the weirder stories like Akira randomly pulling out a guitar and singing drinking songs in the middle of the street for money, and Kenishi wearing woman's clothes to impress a girl.

All of them had a good laugh and a great time telling tales. It surprised them how much they didn't know about each other considering how long they worked together. They knew each other's habits and strengths but not anything about their home lives. Kaya was the first to break away from the group as she had to pick up Naruto from school and tell him the good news. They wished her well as she made her way to the civilian school. Naruto was surprised when he saw Kaya there but was extremely happy. He ran towards her with his arms stretched out. Kaya chuckled as he jumped onto her and gave him a tight hug. She asked him how his day was which Naruto excitedly chatted about. He told an elaborate tale of pranks he pulled and battles won. Kaya listened intently with a smile on her face. After Naruto was finished with his story he asked her why she was there so early. "I have the rest of the day off," Kaya replied.

"Why?"

"My teammates and I have a mission tomorrow. It's an escort mission and I should be gone about a week barring any complications. Tomorrow I have to meet with my teammates at six to leave."

"What will I do?" Naruto asked in a sad tone.

"You aren't helpless Naruto," Kaya reminded him. "I may not want to leave you but you will be fine. I'll drop off breakfast in the morning and make a few more meals for you to heat up in the microwave or oven while I'm gone. I'll also leave money for ramen but try not to spend it all in one sitting, okay? If you need any additional help just go to the Hokage like usual. When I get back we can celebrate my return at Ichiruka's, alright?"

"Promise?"

"Promise."

"It'll be the third thing I do."

"Third?" Naruto asked indignantly.

"First is obviously reporting my mission to the Hokage along with my teammates."

"What's the second thing then?"

"Hugging the life out of you of course and making sure you are okay and have been taking care of yourself."

Naruto giggled as Kaya began to tickle him. They made their way to the training field in a good mood. Kaya had Naruto do a review of what he had learned from her so far. Then she sparred with him making sure to hold back a little so he wouldn't get too hurt during the fight. It was something Kaya had started a week ago so Naruto could get used to using the skills in a real fight. Whenever he missed Kaya she would give out pointers on his technique and how to improve. Their spar lasted until five when Kaya decided to stop them for the day. "You've done very well for your age and will make a great shinobi, however, remember that you can always improve on something. Never get a big head about your skills but know your skills and limits," Kaya advised.

"Why do we have to stop now? Usually we continue until six or seven," Naruto complained. Kaya smiled at him fondly used to his antics.

"I have to start making multiple dinners for you to heat up while I'm gone on my mission," Kaya replied. "I would rather get started now because I have to also go inform my brothers so Kenishi doesn't yell at me later."

"You won't forget my right?"

"Of course not! All your silly antics, goofy grins, and so on are seared into my brain. All of the memories ready at a moment's notice to remind me of you," Kaya assured him. "Besides depending on how long I stay I might even get you a souvenir."

"Really?"

"Yup! Now come on let's get going."

"Walking hand in hand they made their way towards the market. Some people openly glared at the duo while others ignored their presence. By now all the citizens and some of the shinobi knew someone was taking care of Naruto and they didn't like it. No one knew her name though since she was reclusive and hardly ever talked to anyone outside of her family and teammates. She wasn't part of a major shinobi family either so they had never heard of her beforehand. Despite their looks and hostility towards Naruto they treated her fairly better. Kaya was at least able to buy groceries without being over prices and they weren't expired. Some people assumed she was paid by the Hokage to take care of him and she didn't correct them. She didn't want to talk to those she deemed idiots or jerks since those were the kinds of people who annoyed her most.

Kaya bought so many groceries that Naruto had to help her carry them and he was barely managing. Luckily Akira had decided to give her some money a couple days ago to buy more groceries for the house otherwise she would be completely broke. Naruto was surprised by the amount of food in the bags having never seen so much before when Kaya told him it was meant to last the whole week she was gone. He was a growing young boy and needed as much nutrition as possible. He nodded his head in understanding. As they arrived at Naruto's apartment they quickly put the food away in the refrigerator. Kaya didn't want it to spoil after all. She then began to cook with Naruto helping with little things like chopping the vegetables or stirring which ever pot Kaya told him to mix. He messed up a couple times but they were minor things so the dishes still turned out well.

Naruto was proud of his accomplishment and Kaya congratulated him saying she couldn't have done it without him. They then ate dinner together after setting the other meals in the refrigerator. Afterwards Kaya set some money aside and told him it was for when he ran out of food and not to play with. He told her that she could count on him as his chest puffed up with confidence. She ruffled his hair playfully, which she was prone to do, and said that she knew she could count on him. The rest of the evening was a blur for Kaya as she cleaned Naruto's apartment, read him a children's story and then tucked him into bed. She was tired yet knew there were still a couple more things left for her to do before she could sleep.

Heading home Kaya took some of the leftovers from dinner with her and left the rest for Naruto to eat. She wasn't sure if either of her brothers was home but she thought Akira might be. When she arrived she found out that he wasn't there like she had hoped. Setting the leftovers in the kitchen Kaya once again began cleaning the house. It sometimes amazed her how quickly it became dirty. This time she didn't have to wait hours for Akira since he showed up within the half hour she was busy cleaning. "How as your guard duty tonight?" Kaya asked politely.

"Long and boring," Akira replied. "Konoha is safe for yet another day. No bandits or missing nin have tried to enter once again."

"You sound so thankful," Kaya told him sarcastically. "It's almost like you want something to happen around here."

"I just hate waiting there when nothing happens and all that," Akira replied.

"Yeah, I know. For some reason you need something to do constantly or you'll go crazy...Oh yeah! By the way I have a mission tomorrow C rank."

"Cool. What kind of mission?"

"Escort."

"How long?"

"About a week given no complications which I doubt there will be."

"Ah, it must be close by then. So Kenishi and I will have to fend for ourselves for the next week or so?"

"Pretty much. I'll make breakfast for tomorrow morning but that's it. By the way...Where is Kenishi? Usually he's here by now, right?"

"He had a mission for the past few days and should be back tomorrow. Where have you been? I've seen less of you these past few months than usual."

"Avoiding him like the plague and hanging out with a friend of mine. Can you tell him about my mission?"

"Sure."

"Thanks."

Nothing more was said between them as Akira heated up the leftovers and Kaya got ready for bed. Before falling into the depths of sleep she made sure to pack everything she would need for the mission tomorrow plus a few extra items in case of emergency. Kaya was excited and couldn't wait to start her new mission. Soon she fell into a relatively peaceful slumber. There were no nightmares, however she briefly woke up once due to the wind picking up. In the morning she still felt refreshed like nothing had occurred. Quickly she got ready and prepared breakfast for everyone. Then she ran all the way to Naruto's apartment and began her normal routine ahead of schedule. Instead of waking Naruto up, she set his alarm clock for a certain time and left him a note. She then rushed to reach the gates on time.

When she arrived, Masao was the only one there waiting to start the mission. The guards were the only other people in sight. Checking her watch Kaya noticed she was fifteen minutes early. It wasn't long before Eiji arrived followed by their sensei with their clients. The merchant was middle aged with salt and pepper hair. He pulled a small cart filled with different spices and food products from around the country. His daughter was very beautiful and Eiji was left speechless by her looks. She had raven black hair pulled away from her face with a flower pin and dark brown eyes. Kaya and Masao could tell Eiji was smitten with her. "Well don't dawdle! Let's get going," their sensei told them. Not even bothering to argue with him they set out.

The merchant's daughter, Hana, found a companion in Kaya on the road. As they walked she would ask Kaya questions about being a kunoichi and talk to her about random subjects. Eiji kept hoping that she would notice him as he walked up beside her to no avail. Hana avoided both Masao and Eiji. When Kaya asked her why she did this Hana told her they didn't appeal to her and she didn't care for men overly much. Kaya shrugged her shoulders figuring something bad had probably happened to her and decided not to pry. It helped that Kaya was subtly able to help her and wouldn't be distracted. Sleeping arrangements were made easier as Kaya shared with Hana, their sensei with the merchant, Hasao, and Masao with Eiji.

The first day was quiet and there were no troubles along the way although they didn't expect much given the rank of the mission. On the second day of travel there was a bit of travel as some bandits tried to attack them. The bandits weren't shinobi and thought they stood a chance against children like them. All they wanted was the money the merchant carried and some of the food. They got into a protective formation around the merchant and his daughter. Kaya stood in front of Hana, Masao was guarding the merchant, and Eiji protected the merchandise. Their sensei stood back letting them take charge. He told them he would only step in if they really needed it. Eiji told him that they wouldn't while Masao and Kaya nodded. Without warning the bandits attacked. There were five of them in total and most went after the boys thinking Kaya would be easy to handle.

Kaya threw shuriken at the bandit attacking her. The bandit dodged and Kaya used a mini tornado jutsu to blow him back. Her teammates seemed surprised by the level of wind jutsu she used. She hadn't told them she had been practicing with harder levels besides the small gust she had perfected using since she became a gennin. Truthfully she hadn't learned much more than the small gust of wind and the mini tornado but she was making more progress and every little advantaged helped in a battle. Her jutsu unbalanced the bandit so she rushed in with a kunai and made shallow cuts across his torso. Not giving him a chance to recover, she then kicked his chest. Unfortunately for the bandit there was a rock on the ground. His head clipped it and he was knocked unconscious. Pulling out some rope she bound the bandit before observing her teammates battles.

Eiji was struggling a little with the two bandits that attacked him yet he was holding his own against them. He used exploding tags and created small traps within a matter of minutes. Despite his imperfect control with his chakra Eiji was a good tactician. No one expected it of him which made it all the more worse as people often underestimated him. Kaya considered helping him however he managed to take one bandit out by using some trip wires and smoke bombs that she decided he was fine by himself. If he got injured then she would step in to help. He then used a barrage of kunai on the other bandit. Using a quick genjutsu he distracted the guy long enough to come up behind him and knock him out. Once he was done he tied them both up.

Masao was holding his own against the two bandits attacking him with ease. He used their strength against them and hit their vitals with precise punches. His style was similar to the Hyuuga family taijutsu style but was unrefined and more of a bastardization. The bandits managed to cut him a little but it wasn't deep and would heal. Getting impatient Masao punched one of the bandits in the solar plexus and then drove his knee into the other one's stomach. Both bandits doubled over trying to catch their breaths. In their moment of weakness Masao knocked them out and tied them up soundly. Regrouping they encouraged the Hasao and Hana to move on while their sensei dealt with taking care of the bandits.

"Wow you guys were amazing!" Hana told them in awe. "I don't think I could ever have pulled off what you guys did!"

"We have had plenty of practice in order to do so," Kaya replied politely. "I'm sure if you had the same you could have done what we did."

"I can't believe how easily you took down that bandit Kaya-chan," Hana continued. "You were just so brave and strong!"

"Thank you," Kaya replied blushing slightly. "I have been training since I was little. My family is not a predominant shinobi clan; however most of them have become shinobi."

"I didn't know you were mastering other wind jutsus," Masao commented lightly.

"That's because until recently I haven't been able to pull it off completely. Akira-nii started helping me after I made it as a gennin. After he tested my affinities he found and found out I was partial to wind he found all the scrolls he could to help me. He then would give pointers if I asked for clarification on a certain part. Until a few weeks ago I couldn't pull it off," Kaya explained.

"So what kind of shinobi do you want to be?" Hana inquired. "I mean which style do you want to do? Or well..."

"I want to be a weapons mistress along with a wind jutsu specialist. I also plan to dabble with water jutsus and taijutsu," Kaya replied, understanding what she meant. "Those are the skills I special in already."

"You know I always figured you were a genjutsu user," Eiji commented. "It just seemed like something you would be good at."

"We all know I'm only average at best in that. Genjutsu doesn't come easily to me although I can at least throw it off pretty well," Kaya responded. "Besides you preform genjutsu techniques very well despite most people thinking otherwise."

"I suppose..."

"Eiji-kun you're our genjutsu user and tactician, Masao-kun is our taijutsu user and powerhouse, while I'm the weapons mistress, and working on elemental user. We balance each other out. That is the point of dividing us into three people teams after all."

Hana quickly regained Kaya's attention with another question. Kaya answered her to the best of her ability. Their sensei soon caught up with their group and they continued on. No one talked about what happened to the bandits and happy chatter soon filled the air. There were no more problems while they traveled. Not even the animals bothered them overly much. They still didn't let their guard down just in case trouble was hiding away in the bushes or something. Kaya was tense the entire time and her hand rested on her weapons pouch. Everyone were in similar conditions but hid it better. By the tie they set up camp the tension in the air was extremely think. Despite this they slept peacefully while one person stood on guard in shifts.

The group traveled swiftly and within two more days they made it to their destination. When they arrived it was nearing evening. Masao, Eiji, and Kaya checked out the town since they had never been out of Konoha before. It was a small town with mostly farming houses and a few small shops. The people were nice enough and Hasao put them up for the evening so they wouldn't have to travel a few hours and then make camp. Having completed their mission they were allowed to look around the village. A few craft shops were set up in the street still open for a few more hours. Kaya browsed through the different stores. She was contemplating getting a key chain that looked like a fox or an orange and yellow blanket with hints of red. In the end she decided to buy both and ended up nearly broke with a few yen left in her wallet. She had to haggle a bit to reduce the prices and afford both items. After she bought her purchases she stored them in the storage scroll that Akira had given here. Then she went back to the merchant's house.

Hana made sure they were all comfortable as she laid out the futons for them to sleep on and prepared dinner. Kaya helped out and even received some tips in return when she said she cooked often. Everyone was happy and talking lightly. When they went to bed it was peaceful even if their sensei kept watch of the house. In the morning though, it wasn't the same. Hana wished they could stay longer and was upset that they had to leave so soon. Kaya told her she had to go back to her adopted son though. Right before they left town completely Hana ended up surprising Kaya with a kiss before darting away. Kaya touched her lips confused and unsure of what to do. "Well that was unexpected..." Kaya said still in shock.

"Really? I expected that to happen after the first day," Masao commented.

"She just- Hana- Kaya- What?" Eiji tried to articulate. He was at a loss for words as he looked between were Hana had been and Kaya.

"And you didn't think to say anything?" Kaya asked ignoring Eiji's sputtering.

"I figured you knew about her crush and didn't care," Masao replied. "I mean she was always trying to have all of your attention, would stick close to you, would pull you away from us if she thought we were too close to you, and hung off of every word you said."

"Well I don't really mind I suppose...I just didn't really connect it you know? It's kind of shocking..."

"I can't believe she kissed you," Eiji muttered with a pout. Both Masao and Kaya patted his back in sympathy. They knew he had been crushing on Hana and was hoping she would go on a date with him before they left. They had known it was a hopeless case but decided against saying anything to Eiji.

"I don't care what happened get moving," their sensei told them harshly. Masao and Kaya glared at him but obliged. He was their sensei and deserved some respect even if they would rather comfort Eiji.

Soon they were heading back to Konoha running at a moderate pace. They had finished the mission earlier than the expected amount of time. If they continued at this pace they could arrive home a day before what they originally thought it would take. That was fine with all of them since they could see their families sooner. Kaya tried to lighten the mood as they ran by telling funny stories to Eiji to cheer him up. He slowly came out of his depression and added his own tales into the mix. Then Masao contributed his own share and they were all chuckling aloud. Their sensei didn't reprimand them; however he also didn't add anything to the conversation either.

Once again they ran into bandits on the way back, although they were sure it was a mistake on the bandits' part. Unless they were protecting something bandits usually left shinobi alone. The fight was quick as the gennin overtook the bandits with a barrage of kunai and taijutsu. Kaya received a few bruises and one cut on her left shoulder as she rushed into the front lines. She had been careless in that regard even if there were a decent amount of bandits. When they arrived at the village they immediately went to the Hokage to report their success. He paid them in kind and sent them on their way. Eiji wanted them to hang out together and celebrate their first completed C rank mission but both Masao and Kaya declined. Masao wanted peace and quiet in order to relax after the mission, while Kaya wanted to visit Naruto right away.

Naruto was easy to find despite Konoha being a bustling town. There were few places that he visited as he usually avoided the villagers unless need be. She found him at one of the training fields practicing his kunai throwing. Kaya was proud of him as he hit the target close to the center. She decided to observe him for a while and see if there was any changes and how he was. From what she could tell he had been doing their normal schedule while she was gone just without her help and guidance. He didn't look starved so she figured he had been eating properly. The only thing that bothered her was the bruises on his arms and legs. She was furious when she saw them. Kaya wanted to find the person who caused them and torture them. Instead she jumped down from the tree she had been in and landed near Naruto.

"Hey Naruto, how's it been?" Kaya asked cheerfully. Naruto jumped in the air at the sound of her voice.

"Mama!" Naruto said surprised. "When did you get here?"

"I arrived about ten minutes ago," Kaya replied. Naruto smiled and ran to hug her.

"I thought you wouldn't be here until tomorrow?"

"My teammates and I made great time and arrived home early. Anyways, I come bearing gifts!"

"Really? What did you get?"

"Well I promised you beforehand, remember? Of course I have gifts and you'll have to wait to see what I got you."

Naruto was excited as Kaya pulled out a storing scroll with the presents in it. Opening the seal on the scroll she pulled out the gifts and handed them over to him. He examined them for a second with a cute serious look before breaking out into a smile. Naruto then hugged Kaya tightly and shouted, "Thank you!" Kaya smiled back and ruffled his hair. They decided to drop off the blanket at Naruto's apartment and then going out to eat ramen. As they ate their usual bowls of ramen Naruto told her all about his week. He talked about how boring his classes were, how training at the training ground went without her, and everything else that came to mind. Kaya would throw in comments every now and then but mostly left the conversation to him. She did tell him tid bits of her own week and how that went. All in all it was very relaxing and just what Kaya needed.

When they were done eating and paid Kaya walked Naruto back home. She was pleasantly surprised to see it mostly clean with only a few pieces of trash strewn about. Naruto told her he didn't want her to do a lot of work when she got back so he made sure to clean up. Giving him a noogie she told him, "Aw, look at who's a responsible young man!" That caused Naruto to blush a cherry red. She cleaned the rest of the apartment and helped Naruto with his homework. Personally Naruto thought Kaya would be a great teacher as she made exaggerated movements while she talked. It made him pay attention and she explained things thoroughly enough that he understood what she was talking about. She made sure it was engaging considering his short attention span. Kaya dreaded thought of teaching multiple students at once like some chuunin did. She didn't mind the thought of teaching a team of three but that was all she could handle. Finishing up his work Naruto got ready for bed with Kaya there to tuck him in.

Kaya wasn't as enthused when she reached her own house having decided it was time to head home. The sink was piled with dishes, nothing was cleaned, and it smelled horrible. All she wanted to do was go to bed and rest away for about a week. The mess prevented her from doing so as she hated to leave things like this for later. Sighing heavily she began to get to work. Akira showed up when she was half way done with the mess and froze as soon as he saw her. "I swear we were going to clean all of this up before you got home," he told her nervously. That didn't' stop Kaya from throwing a few kunai at his head plus her short blade at his stomach. Luckily for him he dodged.

"Really now?" Kaya mocked. "Kenishi and you were going to clean this all up before I got home tomorrow? I highly doubt it."

"We really were going to."

"_Right_. You can clean the rest of it then because I'm going to bed. If you so much as leave one ounce of dirt I will torture you personally in your sleep," Kaya told him threateningly. She got pissed off whenever they left messes for her and didn't clean them up like they should. It got worse when she was tired. Kaya had a habit of trying to kill her brothers when that happened.

"Okay..." he said without protest. He knew better than to say anything else.

"Good. Good night Akira-nii!" Kaya said the last part cheerfully and went to bed. As soon as she hit the pillow she crashed.

***Line***

**TBC!**

**Yay I made it to chapter 3! I can't be sure if I'll update the fourth and fifth chapters as quickly. I'm graduating from high school on May 29, and prom is coming up on the 19****th****. Plus my mother is having me help her with a lot and a friend asked me to do some character sketches for him. Please R&R! I always appreciate it!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: Don't own Naruto and I doubt I could keep it going as long as it has if I did.**

**Warnings: OCs, violence, swearing, and probably more….**

***Line***

"Again!" Naruto shouted.

"Alright, get up and pay attention," Kaya told him. They were working on weapons training. Kaya was showing him all the different weapons that weren't common. Naruto would be starting the Academy in a couple weeks so she had them sparring together in order to help prepare him more. Her brothers had done the same for her. Every time she knocked him down Naruto would get back up and demand another round. Kaya admired his determination and would praise him after practice. Then she would show him what he did wrong and correct it. After months of nonstop training and food Naruto was finally starting to fill out and get some toning. Kaya had practically lived with Naruto making it easier to teach him anything he needed to know. She had claimed the couch as her own and practically all of her clothes were there. They were become as close as real family members.

Within a few minutes Naruto was knocked down again. He couldn't quite grasp using a staff or nun chucks. Kaya was still trying to instill the basics just in case he would need it. She found he was more suited to daggers and short swords or other such weapons. After Naruto picked himself back up Kaya pondered what she would do. With Naruto starting the academy he would be put in more danger she realized. It wasn't something she had really thought about before. She couldn't always be there for him but she could do what she could. He wouldn't need something to help protect him other than the few weapons he had. She also needed to get him a gift for joining the academy soon. "Mama?" Naruto asked noticing her distracted look. "What's wrong?" Kaya blinked as she came back to reality.

"Oh, nothing's wrong I was just thinking about something," Kaya replied.

"About what?"

"It's a secret."

"Not even a hint?"

"Nope, but I will let you guess all you want."

"Mission? No...You tell me those. Birthday? No both of are months away. Some kind of gift?" Kaya nodded her head. "What kind?"

"Not telling," Kaya replied. "How about we go get some ramen? You'll find out later, alright?" Kaya said placating him.

"Fine..." he mumbled.

He perked up as soon as Kaya bought him some miso ramen. Teuchi greeted them warmly as usual and asked how many bowls to expect. If Naruto had his way the whole restaurant would be his order. He absolutely adored the food. Luckily it was up to Kaya and she let him have four bowls of ramen. She wondered where he put it all. He seemed so tin y and it looked like he wouldn't be able to eat a lot. Kaya was glad he didn't leave leftovers at least. Her brothers and her had a policy about eating everything on their plates and not wasting any food. That and it made it worth all the money she had to pay for him.

The next day Kaya told Naruto she might be a couple hours late since she had to do a few errands. He was slightly down about this but was happy when she promised ramen for dinner again. Her plan was to buy Naruto a gift while he was with the Hokage's office. Naruto met up with the Hokage a lot since he was one of few people who liked Naruto and would keep him company while Kaya was on a mission or training. It was one of the shorter training days so she had time to browse around. Eiji decided to tag along with her and buy a few things for himself. Kaya didn't mind as it gave her a second opinion plus she could always ask him for money if it was too expensive. Currently they were having a stare down with the weapons in one of the stores that catered to shinobi.

"Okay, so I want to get him a weapon to keep on him at all times and some sort of guard or armor to protect himself with," Kaya said after a while. "Maybe a few protection charms while I'm at it."

"What did you have in mind?" Eiji asked looking around.

"Perhaps a short sword or dagger for a weapon, as he does better with them, and something for his neck is what I'm thinking. I also considered getting him a couple kunai..." Kaya replied as she picked up a weapon and inspected it. She examined it closely to determine how good the quality was.

"Well if you already know what you're going to get then why don't you just buy it already?" Eiji inquired.

"Because I have to make sure the quality is good," Kaya told him while rolling her eyes. "I can't just give my kid any weapon! It needs quality and durability!"

"Alright, geez, you're the future weapon's mistress not me," Eiji said with a placating tone.

"Damn straight," Kaya said this time with a teasing edge. Satisfied with the quality of the weapon she went up to the front to pay for it along with a neck guard she saw on her way to the counter. All of her purchases were thankfully within her budget for the quality she received. Eiji followed her out of the store.

"You know it still surprises me every time you tease someone or laugh," Eiji commented as they walked.

"Seriously?"

"Yeah, you always seemed so reserved and hardly talked to anyone before so it came as a surprise. Heck I thought you were a block of ice or something when we first met!"

"I suppose...I just never really connected well with the kids in our year. I mean most of the girls my age talked about boys and fashion which I couldn't care less about. The few that talked about other subjects were still generally immature. A lot of guys were just either plain annoying jerks or trying to ask a girl out on a date...I could never see the point in socializing with them. Besides I was busy enough without having to play and spend time with them outside of the academy."

"True enough. It's just ever since you unofficially adopted that kid you've seemed more open and talkative."

"Really?"

"Yes, I mean the first thing you did after adopting him was to get Masao-kun and I to get our acts together. Usually you said nothing except to maybe give a few pointers. You were usually just in the background. Now you've started talking more during training and even going out a bit more with us. Heck I thought you would spend less time with the team because of the new responsibilities you took on."

"Hmm...You have a point. I never really thought much about it...I should thank the brat when I go see him. His cheerful attitude makes me relax and want to open up."

"Tell him I say thanks also."

"Sure, I might as well go pick him up now. I thought shopping would take a lot longer."

"Well, see you later then."

"Bye!"

Kaya ran to the Hokage's tower where she was sure Naruto would be. His gifts were stored in a storage scroll and ready to be given to him. When she got there she immediately began looking for him. When she noticed he wasn't in the building she began to worry. The Hokage's secretary took pity on her and told her Naruto went to the park. Apparently the Hokage had a lot of paperwork piling up and Naruto was bored so he left. Kaya thanked the secretary and headed out towards the nearest park. Naruto wouldn't go too far without her permission.

When Kaya got to the park she saw him near the sings with a few children calling him names. Rushing over she shouted at the children to stop what they were doing. All of them froze including Naruto. When he saw it was her he ran to her and hugged her waist tightly. Kaya glared at all of the children as she comforted Naruto. They flinched under her intense gaze. "What do you think you were doing?" she asked them deceptively calm. Anyone that knew her knew she was beyond pissed though. Naruto cuddled closer to her when he heard the tone she was using. He had only heard her use that tone once before when an adult civilian was messing with him. She ended up sending the man to the hospital with bruised ribs and a broken nose.

"Properly punishing the demon," one of the braver children announced. He had his hands on his hips self riotously.

"I see...so does that mean you are worse than a demon?" Kaya asked. "You are picking on someone shorter than you in a larger group without provocation. Meaning you fellows are in the wrong. Now, if I ever see you picking on Naruto again I'll make sure you _never_ walk again. Got it?" Kaya said threateningly. The children all felt shivers go down their spines before nodding their heads quickly and running away. "Are you okay?" Kaya asked voice soft once again as she crouched down.

"I'm fine," Naruto responded a little downcast. He was used to this kind of behavior for everyone besides Kaya and the 'old man' as he liked to call the Hokage.

"Truthfully I don't think so but whatever. Let's go home. I have something for you," Kaya said sighing lightly. Naruto perked up at the mention of a gift.

"What is it?" he asked excitedly.

"You'll see when we get home," Kaya replied.

The rest of the way home Naruto kept guessing what his gift could possibly be and asking questions trying to find hints. Kaya wouldn't budge and ignored all his pouts when she wouldn't answer a question. She kept telling him that patience is a virtue and he'll find out when he gets home. Naruto sulked for a bit at that of course but Kaya wasn't moved. He had tried to pull that ever since she started caring for him and it never worked. Besides Kaya secretly thought it made him look adorable. Since asking questions wasn't working and Kaya wasn't responding to his begging, Naruto decided to try to get her to move quicker. He figured the quicker they moved the sooner he would see his gift. Kaya let herself be dragged along by him.

They reached the apartment in record time with Naruto jumping up and down in excitement. He was pulling Kaya into the apartment with all of his enthusiasm to see what he got. Kaya just smiled indulgently and followed right behind him. Once Kaya felt Naruto had waited long enough she pulled out her storage scroll. Opening it up, she present two long daggers and a neck guard. Naruto hugged Kaya in thanks when he saw his gifts. "I love you mama!" he said happily. Immediately he began doing a basic set of katas with the daggers. Kaya was proud as he correctly went through the forms.

"Make sure to take good care of them," Kaya said lightly.

"Don't worry I will!" Naruto exclaimed.

"I know you will," Kaya stated fondly. "If anyone would take care of it well it would be you. Now are you up to getting some ramen for dinner?"

"Yes!" Naruto shouted happily.

"Of course you'd be up to ramen no matter what time it was," Kaya said grinning. "Okay, let's clean up a bit before heading out." Naruto rushed to clean up the apartment as he wanted his ramen as quickly as possible. Kaya helped at a more leisurely pace. Naruto whined at her to hurry up. She decided to stop teasing him as she created a couple clones to help out. Pointing to each one she told them what needed to be done. The clones nodded and immediately began to help. No words were needed to be exchanged as they all began to work. Soon everything was spotless and Naruto was bouncing in place. "Alright, let's go."

Teuchi gave them a warm greeting and commented on them coming two days in a row. He was used to his two favorite customers coming every other day or at random times depending on how busy Kaya was. "Hey old man!" Naruto shouted his greeting. Kaya gave a small wave and told him it was a special occasion. Teuchi didn't even bother asking for their orders and they were always eating the same thing. After making sure they were seated happily he went in the back to prepare their bowls.

"So what's the occasion?" Teuchi asked. "You mentioned it was a special occasion when I said I was shocked you came in two days in a row."

"Naruto here starts at the academy tomorrow," Kaya proudly boasted.

"And I'm going to be the best shinobi there!" Naruto continued.

"I'm sure you will be," Teuchi responded fondly.

Kaya was glad that the paperwork for enrolling Naruto was done so he could go to the academy. She had to go to the Hokage's office in order to fill it all out. He let her be an emergency contact and caretaker despite her not officially adopting Naruto. A few times he asked her if she was okay with everything, only for her to reply that it was what Naruto wanted. There were a lot of forms and she had to give a lot of information about herself. It was worth it though since that meant she would be kept up to date on Naruto's progress. She could also attend any meetings or functions as a stand in for Naruto's parents. "Tomorrow is the first day and I can't wait to drop Naruto off and see him become one step closer to being a shinobi. I was thinking of waving a banner saying 'Congratulations! It's your first day Naruto!' or something," Kaya said honestly. She actually had the banner made and kept it in her closet.

"Would you really do that?" Teuchi asked amused.

"My mom did that when I started at the academy so I figured I would do the same for Naruto," Kaya replied. Naruto's eyes seemed to sparkle at the prospect of carrying on a family tradition. "I figured it was better than doing a weird jig in front of the school. Mom did that when I entered the civilian school."

"She really did that?" Naruto asked in amazement.

"Yup. She wore her best clothes with her hair all done up, walked me to school, and did a little dance in front of the school."

"What was your mama like?"

"My mom was very nice and open. She was always honest about everything if not a bit ditzy...Minor things she forgot all the time but if it was important she would remember. She was hardworking and optimistic. We shared a sense of humor," Kaya responded thoughtfully. Kaya talked about her fear of snakes and how she adored cats. She talked about the funny moments like her mom tripping and dropping paint on someone's head. Naruto absorbed each story with fascination. Out of a side pocked, Kaya pulled out a picture of a woman. Teuchi respectfully kept quiet while she talked about her mother. "This was her." Naruto peered at the picture curiously.

"Do you think she would have liked me?"

"Of course! She would have taken you in in a heartbeat and smothered you with love! Then she would pout at you whenever you doubted her or yourself," Kaya replied confidently. She had always had a deep bond with her mother. They always would talk about everything and anything. Naruto wished he could meet Kaya's mother since she sounded like a really nice lady. He voiced this only to receive another fond smile. Kaya told him she hoped it would be years from now since she didn't want him to leave her so quickly. She then joked saying it would be nice to meet her mother first and brag about him. The conversation switched topics and led to the night ending in laughs.

Once she was awake, Kaya snuck into her closet's hidden compartment and pulled out a make-up kit. Rarely if ever did she apply any make-up to herself but she figured Naruto's first day of school was a special occasion. She wanted to look her best and make him proud to say she was his mother. In her closet she also found a camera so she would be able to take a lot of pictures. Kaya then began to apply a light amount of make-up and do her hair up. Normally it was left down so she decided to put it in two pigtails and curl it. Then she added orange hair clips to go with her orange shorts and ribbon. Grabbing the banner after she was done she put it into a hidden pocket.

In the kitchen it was like a tornado had hit it or an earthquake. Pots and pans were scattered around and ingredients were set in rows by their food division. Dairies were in one pile while vegetables and meat both had their own. A lot of different scents mixed to create an enticing aroma. Kaya was in the midst of this making both breakfast and lunch. It was a special day in her opinion and deserved a feast. She was even making lunch for her teammates. Kaya was glad she knew how to use a sealing scroll so she didn't have to carry everything in her arms. It was the only type of sealing she knew. Akira had taught her when she was younger and interested in being a shinobi.

Checking the clock she noted that it was six in the morning. Not wanting to be late she dashed to Naruto's house at full speed. She took a short cut by jumping on the roofs. It wasn't long before Kaya was at the apartment and taking out breakfast. Naruto was easy to wake up once she mentioned it was his first day of the academy. He jumped out of bed and rushed to get dressed. Kaya calmly set the table and waited for Naruto to emerge from the bathroom he was changing in. He did so and ran to his chair inhaling the food as soon as he sat down like a vacuum. It wasn't until he was finished eating that he noticed how Kaya looked. "Wow mama, you look really pretty this morning," Naruto said amazed.

"I thought I would dress up a little for your first day," Kaya told him a little self-consciously. She wasn't used to wearing make-up after all.

"I bet you'll be the prettiest mama there!" Naruto announced with a big grin. She fondly ruffled his hair and told him to get ready for school. He grabbed the supplies he needed and they headed out. A few people threw glares at them as they headed towards the academy. Kaya placed a comforting hand on his shoulder and ignored the strangers. She didn't know why they didn't like Naruto but she wouldn't let it bother either of them.

Dozens of parents and caretakers stood in front of the academy when they arrived. Last words of advice and comfort were spoken to the children before they entered. A few were dressed up nicely like Kaya was while others wore their work clothes. Kaya patted Naruto's head before pushing him to enter the academy. He gave her a big smile and waved at her. Before he turned around towards the school Kaya pulled out the banner she made for him. Some of the parents glared at her as she began cheering while others looked at her incredulously. Seeing Naruto enter the school, Kaya put her banner away and left. Everything had gone the way she wanted which she was glad for.

Her teammates were shocked when they saw how dressed up she was. At first they thought their eyes were playing tricks on them. Eiji thought it was a genjutsu while Masao thought it was a henge. Then they both wondered if it was an imposter. It wasn't until Kaya started talking that they realized it was really her. "What's your problem?" she asked them annoyed.

"You're wearing make-up," Eiji exclaimed loudly.

"So?"

"Usually you don't dress up as nicely," Masao replied. "You look very nice by the way." He was used to his sisters' attitudes and knew when to keep quiet and not say much. Masao also knew that you should complement a girl when they dressed up or they would get pissed.

"Thank you," Kaya responded happily. Masao let out a silent breath of relief.

"Why are you wearing make-up anyways?" Eiji inquired.

"Today is Naru-chan's first day of the academy," Kaya answered easily.

"I never knew you took in that whelp," their sensei muttered with hidden disgust. He had been quiet this entire time but he couldn't hold it back any longer. Kaya was surprised he would say something like that especially using the tone he used for criminals.

"There is nothing wrong with Naruto," Kaya said hotly. Masao and Eiji had no idea who the two were talking about except that it was Kaya's unofficial child. They were shocked by Kaya's tone though. She always respected their sensei even when he was being particularly harsh on them.

"He's a little demon," their sensei spat out. Kaya glared at him before storming off. She marched to a clear field yards away and kicked a training post with all of her might. A loud crack could be heard as a few splinters broke off. Blindly she began to punch the post until her knuckles started to bleed. It pissed her off that other people would make fun of her Naruto and it would make her more determined to take care of him. She barely noticed when Eiji entered the grounds behind her.

"Hey, are you alright?" He asked as she paused in her assault. She looked back at him blankly.

"Seriously? Do I look alright to you?" Kaya asked annoyed.

"I suppose not..." Eiji replied wincing at her harsh tone. "I just wanted to check on how you were. You've never stormed off before and I was worried."

"Nothing has ever angered me enough to make me storm away before," Kaya replied calming down slightly.

"Is there anything I can do to help?"

"Nothing in particular. A regular spar might do me some good though in order to get my emotions out."

"First wrap up your hands so they don't get infected."

"Fine," Kaya said as she took out her gauze. Eiji began to talk as she wrapped up her hands.

"Alright, what kind? All out, genjutsu, taijutsu with or without weapons, or ninjutsu only? Or a mix of some of them?"

"Taijutsu with weapons, no ninjutsu, but genjutsu is permitted."

"Well let's get started then."

Eiji was the first one to move by throwing a kunai with an explosive tag on it. Kaya dodged only to throw a barrage of shuriken. A few scratched Eiji's arm but he didn't' let that deter him. He pulled out a few more kunai with explosive tags before setting up an illusion. Eiji knew it was one of Kaya's weakest points. Waiting for the smoke to clear Kaya kept her guard up. Eiji was the team's tactician and knew how to set up traps well. He also knew all about each of their weaknesses and strengths.

Once the smoke cleared Kaya noticed a barrage of kunai and shuriken coming towards her. She dodged as many as she could yet a few managed to cut her. Tags covered the forest floor exploding whenever she came near them. It was similar to a mine field as Kaya had to watch her step. Kaya pulled out her short sword in time to cut away the vines coming towards her. She briefly wondered if Eiji was using a ninjutsu technique before another barrage of kunai came at her. After each trap a new one emerged causing Kaya to tire. She wasn't sure if she could keep up with all the traps Eiji had set up. Eiji in the meantime was trying to hold the illusion. HE tried to make it as realistic as possible in order to throw Kaya off with his genjutsu.

A small snake coming from the forest threw her off. It was bright green with a yellow stomach and red eyes. She didn't mind snakes but she knew that there weren't any snakes of that color in this forest. That is when she realized she was in a genjutsu. Quickly she dispelled it to see Eiji off to her left in stance to perform a genjutsu. Pulling out a kunai she threw it at Eiji's chest. Then using her quicker speed she got behind him. She went to punch him only for him to grab her wrist and throw her momentum off. He then pinned her while she was disoriented and held a kunai to her throat.

"I really hate losing," Kaya grumbled as Eiji got up.

"As long as it is to fellow Konoha shinobi it's not that bad," Eiji responded.

"You can only say that since you won," Kaya complained.

"So, do you want to do anything?" Eiji asked changing the subject.

"What time is it?" Kaya inquired.

"About one o'clock."

"Very quickly then. I still need to pick Naruto up from the academy."

"How about we get lunch?'

"Sure."

They got dango and tea at one of the stands off of the main road. It was a quiet place that not many visited. Eiji teasingly tried to take one of Kaya's dango sticks only to have to jerk his hand back in order to protect it from a kunai. Kaya glared at him, daring him to try to take her food. He put his hands up in a nonthreatening manner and backed off. He knew a losing battle when he saw one. Both of them enjoyed their talk about how training was going outside of meeting with teammates. Eiji was training his genjutsu and traps. Those were his specialties and he was supposed to be learning about some fire jutsus from his brothers. Kaya told him about her wind techniques she was training in and some of the weapons she was beginning to master. It took Kaya's mind off of what happened at the training ground.

"What time is it now?" Kaya asked after a while.

"About two o'clock," Eiji replied.

"I should start heading out then."

"Alright see you later."

"Bye."

She took her time heading to the academy since it released the students at two thirty, unless there was a holiday and they got out early. Passing by a training filed Kaya saw a boy punching a tree stump. He had black hair cut into a bowl cut with bushy eyebrows and looked a year or two older than Naruto. Checking a nearby clock again, she noticed it was ten minutes past two thirty. She realized she must have been lost in thought longer than she thought. 'He must be pretty quick,' she thought as she observed his training. The boy repeatedly punched the tree adding a kick after every third punch. His hits were with consisted of the same strength never faltering.

"You're very determined," Kaya said startling him. He jumped at the voice and stopped punching the tree. "What's your name? Mine's Kaya."

"Rock Lee!" the boy replied passionately. Kaya blinked at his extreme reaction.

"Ah, well that's a good name," Kaya said a little uncertainly before adding. "I just thought I'd tell you that your determination is praise worthy. Your punches are strong and seem consistent." Lee's eyes sparkled at the praise. Kaya nearly backed away from his excessive cheerfulness.

"Lee!" A voice boomed out behind them. Kaya jumped in shock.

"Gai-sensei!" Lee called back equally as loud. Kaya watched in shock as they ran towards each other and hugged. She wasn't sure what to think when she thought she saw a sunset in the background. The newcomer had the same bowl haircut and eyebrows as Lee but instead of a white training outfit Gai had a green spandex suit.

"And who is this youthful friend of yours?" Gai asked turning to face Kaya.

"Um...my name is Kaya," she replied. "I was just passing by when I saw Lee training. I thought I should say hello and tell him how good he was doing."

"Would you like to train with my youthful student Lee and I?" he asked grinning. Kaya backed away slightly as she saw his teeth sparkle.

"Sorry, but I have to pick up my adoptive son," Kaya replied apologetically. "I'm late enough as it is...Maybe some other time."

"Well then you can bring your youthful son with you!" Gai exclaimed. "That way he can start igniting his flames of youth!"

"Sure..." Kaya agreed. Calmly she walked away until she was out of sight of the training field. Once she was positive they couldn't see her she bolted. Gai didn't seem like a bad person but she found he was extremely odd. She wasn't really sure what to think of him. Kaya hadn't wanted to agree to what he wanted but she thought it would be rude to do otherwise. She could see his student shaping up to be like him already.

Naruto was still waiting at the academy when she arrived. He was alone and looked dejected as he stared off into space. Kaya rushed over to him apologizing profusely for being late. Naruto cracked a smile and told her it was fine. He was just glad that she had come like she said she would. His stomach growled a few minutes later. She was about to take him out when she remembered the bentos she made for her and her team. After she stormed away she had completely forgot about the food. Not wanting it to go to waste she decided to split them with Naruto. Naruto was happy to receive so much food at once. In a few minutes he inhaled the food leaving barely a crumb.

"Why were you late?" Naruto asked accusingly once he was done. Kaya chuckled at the cute sight. His cheeks were puffed out and it looked like he was pouting. It amused her how quickly his moods changed from sadness to happiness and so forth.

"I lost track of time on my way to pick you up," Kaya replied once she got her laughter under control. "Eiji invited me to a late lunch and I was going to be early so I decided to walk here. On the way I got lost in thought and then met an interesting duo."

"So you didn't forget about me?"

"Of course not! I could never do that. I just thought I had more time to get here."

"Well I guess I can forgive you. You did bring me food after all."

"Thank you Naruto. So, how did the first day at the academy go?"

"Well..." Naruto drew out the word in emphasis. He had a flair for the dramatics as Kaya had soon learned. "None of the other kids really talked to me but that's okay since we had to pay attention to the teacher anyways. He was tall! I swear his head almost hit the ceiling and his hair was blue! I don't like him very much though. He's kinda mean and glared at me a lot..." Kaya listened attentively as Naruto talked about his day. She didn't like this Tori-sensei that Naruto went on about. He sounded like a lot of the villagers did in regards to Naruto.

"Don't worry I'm sure it'll get better," Kaya assured Naruto as she led him home. "Tomorrow is another day after all."

***Line***

**TBC!**

**I'm kind shocked that I finished this so early. I thought with everything going on I wouldn't be able to. Anyways R&R! I always appreciate comments!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: Don't own Naruto and I doubt I could keep it going as long as it has if I did.**

**Warnings: OCs, violence, swearing, and probably more….**

***Line***

"Mama!" Naruto shouted as he ran up to Kaya at lightning speed. She was waiting outside the academy bored out of her mind. Her entire continence brightened when she saw him coming towards her. Naruto nearly bowled her over with a hug. Being used to his over exuberance she only took a step back.

"Hey Naruto, how was your day?" she inquired as she ruffled his hair.

"Tori-sensei was being a jerk again," Naruto mumbled frowning. This was a usual occurrence during the past few weeks as Naruto continued going to the academy. "He kept using me for the bad example and the teme for what should be done!" Kaya knew by now that the teme as Naruto put it was Uchiha Sasuke. "He even said was doing all of my katas wrong during taijutsu practice!"

"He's just a bastard," Kaya told him seriously. "Don't listen to all of his criticisms. Come on let's go train and forget about his harsh words. I'll even test your affinities and see about finding you some elemental jutsus. Remember-"

"Every advantage helps," Naruto recited dutifully.

"Brat," Kaya commented fondly.

Kaya had acquired the paper tests from her Akira one evening when she had mentioned wanting to test out someone's affinities. She wanted to start his training early in preparation for the gennin exams that he would eventually have to take. Besides it helped to begin training chakra coils when children were young so they could grow in size. Once they reached a certain age the coils would stop growing no matter how hard you trained. It was risky though since if you didn't know your limits you could get chakra exhaustion. Chakra exhaustion would then lead to a shorter life span and could cause problems later on in life.

Surprisingly there was a duo at the training ground they usually used. Kaya had never known anyone else to use this training ground because it was so far out in the village. The people on training were easily recognizable to Kaya. She had only met them once but it was hard to forget them. Mato Gai and Rock Lee were unique individuals after all. Currently they were having an intense training session. Naruto stared at them with wide eyes. Kaya was about to leave and find another training ground when Gai spotted them. "Hello my youthful friend! And who is this young one?" he called out loudly. Naruto, normally very outgoing, became shy and hid behind Kaya.

"This is my adoptive son, Naruto," Kaya replied placing a hand on Naruto's head. A glint of something passed through Gai's eyes however Kaya wasn't sure what it was.

"So would you and your most youthful son like to train with Lee and me?" Gai asked with a shining smile. Kaya looked at Naruto who shrugged his shoulders.

"We would love to train with you..." Kaya replied hesitantly.

"Well then let's start with one hundred laps around the village!"

"Of course Gai-sensei!" Lee said saluting him.

Kaya did not go back on her word so she began running right behind Lee. She figured it was best to just comply and get it over with. Naruto, who also began running immediately, became a bit competitive. He tried to keep up with Gai who was leading them in the front. Gai encouraged him as he shouted about the flames of youth burning brightly in Naruto. This caused Lee to burn up and increase his pace. It took them an hour to run all the laps as Gai wouldn't let them take a break. Apparently it was good for them to be out of breath and gasping. Kaya never felt so worn out in her life. She had always believed herself to be physically fit however she now realized how much she could improve on.

After their laps were completed, Gai told them to do one hundred push-ups and sit ups. Kaya found this to be a little easier than their impromptu marathon. Cramps developed in her sides though as she felt her muscles burning. Her breathing was also a little heavy. Naruto, the little bundle of energy, was able to keep up with Lee easily. Once they were done Gai told them to they did a good job. "Alright! Your flames of youth have shone brightly today! Now we should spar and then do another light run to cool down," Gai announced.

"Yosh!" Lee exclaimed. He followed Gai's every word.

"How will we be paired up or will we have a free for all?" Kaya asked curiously. She had finally recovered her breath.

"Yeah," Naruto said nodding his head. "Who will we go against?"

"What a youthful question my friends!" Gai said with another sparkling smile. "Lee can spar with Naruto-kun and we shall have a most youthful spar alongside them!"

"Alright!" Lee said saluting. He got into a fighting stance immediately. Naruto determinately also got into position.

"Begin!" Gai shouted when they were both ready.

Lee sprang into action by throwing a kick towards Naruto's midsection. Naruto blocked the kick with one arm and threw two punches towards Lee's chest. Jumping back, Lee avoided the blows. This exchange of throwing blows and either dodging or blocking continued for a few minutes. Neither of them were able to land a hit on the other as they tried to make their mentors proud. Finally Lee was able to punch Naruto in the chest. Instead of crying out at the sharp pain he ignored it. Naruto then gave a low kick with an upper cut that hit Lee under the jaw.

Lee absently wiped at his jaw before launching forward. He managed to drive his knee into Naruto's stomach before punching his cheek. Naruto staggered back from the force of the punch. He did not fall back though and continued to stand. Both Lee and Naruto had determined expressions. Simultaneously they launched at each other and let out a battle cry. They then both punched each other and managed to hit each other in the face. Again they staggered back due to the blows they received. Lee was the first to move again. He brought up a leg to kick Naruto only for Naruto to duck and tackle him. They wrestled on the ground trying to pin the other down. When one of them had the upper hand the other would push them off. Eventually Lee was able to hold Naruto in place.

"What a youthful battle!" Gai called out once Naruto was pinned. "Both of you showed how bright your flames of youth were. Good job!" Lee cheered as his hero praised him. Naruto sulked having lost a fight. Kaya went over and patted his shoulder.

"You both did well. I'm sure you'll both get much stronger in the future and can challenge each other again," Kaya said brightly. Naruto cheered up with Kaya's encouragement.

"Now for a battle of our own," Gai said once Kaya stood up. "I challenge you to a taijutsu battle!"

"Okay," Kaya agreed easily. She had plenty of rest from watching Lee and Naruto spar.

Gai and Kaya got into basic stances like Naruto and Lee had done. Kaya knew she was no match for such a high level shinobi but she would give it her all. She threw the first punch as a feint that he dodged before doing a spin kick. Gai once again blocked her blow and threw a punch of his own. Kaya was only able to block his attack as it came at her extremely fast. Her arms felt a little numb from the impact of the blow. Ignoring the pain she threw a barrage of fast punches. Gai was able to block all of them and did a low kick. Kaya stumbled a little as she dodged his fists, and Gai was able to knock her down.

Quickly Kaya picked herself up before Gai could do anything else. She charged at Gai before doing a side step and elbowing his side. Her blow hit but it didn't do much damage as he threw off her balance by grabbing her elbow. Reorienting herself she aimed a high kick at his chest only to be stopped by a hand grabbing her ankle. Yanking her leg away she prepared to launch another barrage of fists when he let out his own barrage. Kaya was barely able to defend herself and a couple punches made their way through her defenses. Gai then brought a knee up to her stomach. Her breath got caught in her throat and she began to cough. Gai announced the fight was done.

Naruto ran up to check on her once that was announced. He began checking her over worriedly. Kaya smiled at him and eventually managed to tell him everything was okay. He still worried but when Kaya stood up and walked towards Gai and bowed he was relieved. Gai went on about how well she did and that he hoped to fight her again once she got stronger. She promised to do so some other time. After that Kaya led Naruto home so she could make dinner. Both of them were starving after the workout they went through. Naruto kept giving her the puppy dog eyes and begged for ramen but Kaya told him that they had it yesterday. He pouted at being denied his favorite food but didn't complain any more once Kaya placed a plate of food in front of him. Then he vigorously ate the food commenting on how good it tasted.

Kaya was disappointed that she didn't get to test Naruto for his affinities. She was glad that they got a tough workout instead. Tomorrow she made plans to test his affinities again. She did not want to wait too long to test them. It was better to start earlier especially since she would have to look up jutsus for him once she found out what he had affinities for. They would have more time together tomorrow since it was a Saturday. After tucking Naruto into bed Kaya cleaned up the apartment A few dirty clothes littered the floor but otherwise it was clean. Soon she fell asleep as she made plans for tomorrow.

In the morning Kaya began to make omelets with rice and sausages cut like octopi. Naruto slowly woke up and stumbled to the kitchen following the scent of food. He had gotten used to waking up early even if he wanted to sleep in. Kaya hummed as she handed him a plate. Breakfast was delightful as they silently dug into their food. Mornings were always their favorite time of day. Usually they just enjoyed each other's company before they left for school or to train. Lately Kaya had been avoiding being at the training ground with her team longer than necessary. Her sensei's disgust with Naruto put her off. It didn't help that Masao had sided with their sensei. Thankfully Eiji was on her side.

Cleaning up their plates quickly they headed out. Naruto began babbling, wondering what affinities he might have. He wondered if he would have a fire affinity and be able to make huge fireballs. Then he thought about water and making a gigantic tsunami. Kaya chuckled as he went on and on. Each affinity came with some cool jutsu he would like to be able to do. She told him jokingly that he would be anything but earth considering how spirited he was. Naruto gave a cheeky smile and said he would be awesome and probably have a really rare affinity no one had ever heard of.

Along their way to the training ground they ran into Eiji. He blinked at Kaya surprised when he saw her He had never met Naruto before. Kaya told him all about her charge but had never introduced him. She was overprotective and was wary of anyone meeting Naruto even if she trusted them. Naruto looked at Eiji curiously. He thought Eiji looked familiar but he couldn't figure out from where. "Oh! You're that one guy in the picture mama has," Naruto said hitting his palm with realization.

"Um yeah, you must be Naruto-kun then?" Eiji replied unsurely.

"Yup!" Naruto responded cheerfully.

"Ah right...Naruto this is Watanabe Eiji. He's one of my teammates and probably my closest friend," Kaya said after a few seconds. "Eiji this is Naruto my son and ball of energy."

"It's nice to meet you Naruto," Eiji greeted. "Kaya has told me a lot about you."

"Really? All good things, right?" Naruto asked curiously.

"Of course! I doubt she could think a bad thought about you," Eiji assured him.

"So, what are you two up to?"

"Mama was going to test my affinities," Naruto said. The last word was a practically sang out.

"She is, is she?" Eiji commented surprised.

"Yeah, I figured that Naruto could use advantage possible," Kaya replied. "This way when he becomes a gennin he'll have more techniques than what the academy provides. Besides Akira started testing my affinities when I was in the academy."

"He started teaching you this stuff when you were seven?"

"I was nine but I figured with two extra years Naruto could learn a lot more than I did by that time."

"Can I tag along?" Eiji inquired.

"I don't mind," Kaya told him. "Naruto?"

"He can come if you want," Naruto replied.

Eiji and Naruto got along very well. Both were optimistic people who enjoyed making others laugh. Naruto was a more insecure and knew how horrible people could be. Eiji on the other hand had a lot more self-confidence and was naïve about some things even if he was a shinobi. Kaya was glad that the two people she cared about outside of family got along. Both were important to her and she didn't know what she would do if they fought. Eiji regaled Naruto with tales of shinobi life. Most of the stories were the ones his siblings had told him. Naruto listened to each story absorbed with the tales. He wanted to be a great shinobi and go on missions like the ones Eiji was talking about.

As soon as they reached the training ground Kaya pulled out two slips of paper. She handed one to Naruto and told him to concentrate his chakra on it. Naruto was a little confused at first but Kaya showed him what to do. After a while he was able to do it. He focused his chakra onto the paper and waited for the results. When the paper cut itself and had water marks on one end he nearly dropped the paper in shock. Kaya examined the paper closely. Eiji watched from a distance not sure what was going on. He had never tested his affinities before.

"You mainly have a wind affinity but show some promise in water jutsus," Kaya explained handing the paper back to Naruto.

"I do?" Naruto asked curiously.

"Yup, just like me!" Kaya said ruffling his hair. He beamed up at her happy that they would have similar affinities. "That means I can show you some of the scrolls I used to learn the few wind jutsus I know." Eiji watched this all fascinated. Kaya noticed this and asked, "Would you like to test out your affinities?"

"Sure, if it's not much trouble," Eiji told her. Kaya handed him the other slip of paper.

"I brought more in case I lost a few or someone else wanted to do it," Kaya explained.

"I see..."

Eiji held the slip and did what Naruto had done. He put his chakra into the slip of paper. He wondered what his results would be. It was possible he could be similar to Naruto and Kaya. His results were different than he expected. The edge of his paper was burnt and charred. Along one side it looked to be cut up a little. Kaya looked at it closely. She tried to see if there was anything else unusual about it. "It appears that you have a fire affinity mainly with a bit of a wind adaptation," Kaya explained.

"Huh. That's not what I thought I would be," Eiji replied. "I think my brothers have different affinities."

"Well it's not based only on family but also personality and your birthday," Kaya explained. "Knowing you I figured you wouldn't be earth but all the others were fair game. I told Naruto the same thing."

"Do you know any jutsus I can use?" Eiji inquired.

"I only know wind jutsus and you should probably work on fire considering that is your main affinity and should be easier to use," Kaya replied.

"What about me?" Naruto asked interrupting their conversation. "Can I learn anything?"

"Of course!" Kaya assured him. "I figured we could start learning right away. If you don't mind, Eiji?"

"No, go ahead I just wanted to know my affinities. You were planning to teach Naruto before I came along so you might as well continue to do that. I'll leave if you want."

"You can stay. After I teach him one jutsu then we can all go out to dinner or something."

"Alright."

Kaya grabbed all of Naruto's attention when she mentioned teaching him a mild wind technique. Its purpose was to distract and if enough practice deflect weapons or it would help to aim your own weapons. She slowly went through the hand signs making sure he could do them properly before showing him how it should look like when mastered. Naruto clapped after her demonstration. He then went through the hand signs channeling chakra like Kaya had mentioned before. All that happened when he tried was a tiny breeze swayed the grass. He was disappointed when that was all that happened. Kaya told him it would take time and that she didn't master it in a day either. Naruto seemed to cheer up after that and continued to try it out. Eiji and Kaya watched from the side lines. Both made comments on how well Naruto was doing for his age.

After a few hours went by Kaya forced Naruto to stop. He wanted to keep going but she was adamant. She didn't want him to get chakra exhaustion and believe he had worked hard enough for one day. Eiji backed her up when Naruto looked like he would protest. The promise of ramen for dinner made him keep quiet. Eiji followed them along as they went to Naruto's favorite part of Konoha, Ichiraku's. Teuchi greeted them warmly. He was surprised to see another person with Kaya and Naruto but said nothing about it.

Eiji ordered a chicken with vegetables ramen. Kaya just said to get their usual to Teuchi. When Eiji heard this he joked asking if they came here often enough. Kaya lightly shoved him away causing him to laugh. Naruto pouted when Kaya's attention was diverted from him. He was used to having all of her attention. Making funny faces he finally regained Kaya's attention. When she saw his expressions, which reminded her of a squirrel, she burst out laughing. Eiji also laughed as he saw Naruto's puffed out cheeks. Naruto pouted some more when they wouldn't stop laughing.

"Kami you are so cute," Kaya said calming down.

"I am not!" Naruto complained. He still insisted he wasn't saying it was something only said to little girls.

"Please, you are so adorable," Kaya stated. Naruto wished she would stop saying that despite the warmth he felt every time she called him cute.

"Sorry kid but I have to agree with Kaya," Eiji commented.

"Humph."

Once again they began laughing at how cute Naruto looked. This was the scene Teuchi came upon. He set their orders in front of them and shook his head. He did not want to know what was going on. Eiji and Kaya stopped laughing in order to eat their meal. Eiji was amazed as Naruto ate three bowls of ramen before he could finish his first bowl. Looking at Kaya he realized it must be a common sight. As soon as they finished Eiji and Kaya split the bill between them. Eiji then walked Kaya and Naruto home. He was surprised to see where she lived but didn't comment. Kaya seemed to surprise him a lot lately. Kaya waved goodbye promising to see him tomorrow.

Sunday was a sleepy, lazy day. Neither Kaya nor Naruto woke up when they normally would and instead slept in. They got up around nine and slowly began their morning routine. When they finished with breakfast Kaya led them to their usual training ground. No one was around to distract them so they immediately got to work. Naruto was able to make some progress with the jutsu Kaya had shown him the day before. It wasn't perfect but it was better than Kaya had hoped for. After they finished working on the jutsu Kaya had them do a lot of taijutsu training and workouts. She added weights to make it more difficult.

Monday morning found Kaya in the mission's office with the rest of her team. Their sensei had approved of another C rank mission. Kaya was glad to get away from all the D rank missions they had been swamped with. Cleaning up the village and doing odd chores were not something Kaya liked to do outside of her own home. Ever since Naruto had entered the academy and her sensei had found out who she was caring for their team almost fell apart. Their sensei and Masao got along well while Eiji and Kaya got along, however they couldn't get along with each other. Due to this rift that started, they had to take D rank missions again until their team work could build up in order to take higher missions. The team learned to tolerate each other even though they disliked one another. Kaya considered having a team change but that wasn't possible for another year or until one of them became chuunin.

Each member of the team looked over the mission scroll. It seemed like an easy mission. All they would have to do is protect a small caravan while they traveled to Tea Country. The caravan didn't feel safe due to the rumors of more bandits roaming around the area. They accepted the mission. The Hokage gave them two days to prepare for the mission. That was when the caravan planned to leave and they could relax a bit before their long walk. Having their mission details, the Hokage dismissed them. Briefly Kaya wondered if the Hokage would check on Naruto while she was gone. It had happened before during her first C rank, although she hadn't known until later.

Kaya let the thoughts drift away as she made her way to the academy. Naruto would be in class for a few more hours but she figured she could observe his class from a tree outside the window. A lot of shinobi parents had done so in the past that no one bothered to question it. It put their minds at ease when they didn't have time to do anything else to do. She wanted to know how classes really were for her son considering the stories Naruto told her. Kaya hoped he was exaggerating whenever he talked about Tori-sensei adoring the other students over him and teaching him incorrectly.

Sadly Naruto's tales weren't exaggerated in the slightest. Kaya watched as the teacher would drone on about a subject and watch the students. Whenever Naruto so much as moved too much he would scold him. If Naruto raised his hand to answer a question it was ignored in favor of someone else in the class. She continued to watch as the class did taijutsu training and Tori-sensei would tell Naruto he was doing everything incorrectly. A burst of anger swept through Kaya as she knew that Naruto was doing better than some of the other children. Instead of storming down and tearing the teacher a new one she did the next best thing. She went to the Hokage.

"Come in," the Hokage called when he reached his office. After giving out more missions at the mission's room he came back to the tower to work.

"Good afternoon Hokage-sama," Kaya greeted formally. He was one of few people she behaved formally for.

"Ah Kaya-chan how nice to see you again," the Hokage greeted her. "I wasn't expecting to see you so soon."

"Yes, well, I had a concern I wanted to see you about," Kaya told him.

"Oh? What is the problem?" the Hokage asked taking his eyes away from his paperwork. Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Hokage, found it odd that Kaya would seek him out. She usually only saw him when she got a mission or the time she filled out paper work to become Naruto's emergency contact and pseudo-parent. He had tried a few times to talk with her but she preferred to spend her time training or with Naruto.

"It's one of Naruto's teachers," Kaya explained. "He treats Naruto poorly and is telling him that his taijutsu techniques are horrible when they are not. Naruto may not have the stamina or strength of a gennin but he does know the basics. I taught him myself and unless I'm wrong along with my brothers and anyone else I see using the style then Naruto is doing it correctly."

"I'll see what I can do," Hiruzen told her. "I cannot guarantee anything will happen though. The council in charge of education would have to check him out and I doubt they would see him as an incompetent teacher. They do there inspections usually one day in the open and one day hidden."

"So, you aren't able to do anything about it," Kaya concluded with a hint of annoyance.

"Despite being the Hokage I still have rules I have to follow and there are procedures that must be adhered to," Hiruzen explained.

"I see…" Kaya said with a sigh. "Thank you for your time."

"No problem, if you need anything else feel free to come see me at any time."

"Thank you Hokage-sama but all I'll need is for you to check on Naruto when I'm gone."

"I planned to do so anyways."

"Have a good evening."

"Good day."

Kaya left the office disappointed that she couldn't do anything to help Naruto. She wished there was more she could do for Naruto. Not being able to do anything aggravated her. Kaya headed back to the school with a scowl on her face. Many people avoided her when they saw how angry she was. Before reaching the gate she calmed herself so Naruto wouldn't see her expression.

"Mama!" Naruto called out happily as he raced out from the school. A few children looked to see who he was running towards. They were surprised when they saw Kaya since she didn't look much older than them.

"Naruto," Kaya greeted with a smile. "How was school?"

"It was okay," Naruto replied.

"Why don't you tell me about it as we head towards the training grounds."

Naruto began a tale similar to the one Kaya had witnessed. His version wasn't downplayed but she did see that Naruto didn't know how bad it really was. Kaya wasn't going to tell him though since there was nothing she could do about it. It did seem to get better after Kaya left though. Naruto talked to some of the other children during break. Kaya heard the names "Kiba", "Chouji", and "Shika" thrown around a few times and wondered who they were. As long as they continued to be friends with Naruto she figured she'd eventually know.

"Sounds like an eventful day," Kaya commented as he finished talking.

"Yup!" Naruto agreed cheerfully. "They promised we could play tomorrow. Would you like to meet them?"

"Sure, I actually don't have to be anywhere tomorrow," Kaya told him.

"Really? Why not?"

"I have to do an escort mission in two days. We were dismissed until the day of the mission so we could all prepare."

"How long will it take you?"

"I would think about a couple weeks or so. Depends on the pace of the caravan and if we run into problems. I should be back before your birthday though," Kaya replied. Naruto looked dejected that she would be gone for so long. Kaya ruffled his hair like she was prone to do. "Don't worry about it. I'll be fine and when I get back I'll show off all the gifts I've gotten for you. Then we can invite your friends out to eat or something to celebrate."

"Okay!"

Training went by smoothly. Kaya set up an obstacle course for Naruto to run through. He did so in the most imaginative way possible. Instead of a simple leap across something he would jump like a frog, and when he had to crouch down he pretended that he was a crab. Then there were the times he had to throw kunai and he would make a sloppy picture by throwing all of them. Kaya chuckled as he made his way through. Then she did some normal exercises like running, push-ups, and sit ups. She did these exercises with Naruto, though her weights were a lot heavier than Naruto's.

By the end of the day both were exhausted. Kaya had taken to making the work outs harder and started adding her own flare. Ever since she had trained with Gai the one time she thought she was lacking and needed to train harder. Naruto seeing her train intensely decided he should to if he wanted to become the Hokage. The results were already showing as she sparred with Eiji. Instead of Eiji always having an advantage by knowing her skills she would surprise him with something knew making him reevaluate her. This led to Eiji improving as he learned to make decisions quicker and trained harder in order to stay on top. Kaya was beating Eiji more and more.

The next day Kaya headed towards her house. She wasn't sure why she claimed it as hers still since she lived with Naruto. It was unofficial however she had practically moved out. Akira was home when she arrived after dropping Naruto off. He was eating the leftovers she continued to bring over. When he noticed her he gave a short half wave. "Good morning," Kaya greeted casually. "I thought I would inform you of another escort mission that I have."

"So they finally gave your team another C rank mission?" Akira inquired.

"Yeah, we set out tomorrow and I believe we'll be gone for a week or two depending on complications and such."

"That's alright Kenishi and I can look out for ourselves while you're away," Akira told her flippantly.

"Like last time?"

"We _did_ plan to clean up..."

"Sure you did."

They bantered back and forth about whether Akira could really take care of himself. Both smiled with each insult and jab at the other. Neither of them were being mean with their insults. It was one of the things Kaya appreciated about Akira since Kenishi always meant his barbs. The fact that he helped to train her in his spare time was another thing. He only stopped once she started training Naruto as he believed self-study would help her more. Once they finished their conversation Kaya left.

Kaya headed towards the academy humming a tune that she had heard her brother listening to. It was a nice day even if it was a bit warm. After checking her wallet, in the shape of a cat, she determined that she had enough to buy ice cream for all the boys. She would even have plenty left over to leave for Naruto when she went on her mission. Kaya arrived at the academy early so she practiced her katas while she waited. A few people looked at her oddly but she ignored them. She was glad Gai wasn't around to see her because she didn't want to hear his exclamations of youth. Kaya was working on her fourth set of katas when she saw Naruto emerge from the building followed by three other boys.

The first boy was loud and had a dog hanging out from his jacket pocket. There were red marks going down his face indicating he was one of the Inuzuka clan members. He had shaggy brown hair and mischievous brown eyes. Kaya could see why Naruto would hang out with someone like him. They both were loud and looked like they would rather be outside than inside learning. The second boy was on the heftier side with red swirls on his cheeks and a bag of chips in his hands. He looked to be nice enough. His hair was lighter brown with reddish highlights and brown eyes. Finally there was the boy slouched over and lazily walking behind the group. He appeared to be closest to the heftier boy. Kaya nearly laughed when she saw his black hair. It was pulled up into a pony tail but was it looked like a pineapple. Once Naruto noticed her he ran up excitedly.

"Mama, mama! These are the guys I was telling you about!" Naruto exclaimed running up. "The one with the dog is Kiba, Chouji has the chips, and Shika is the one in the back. Guys this is my mom." The boys introduced themselves despite Naruto's introduction. Kaya found out that Kiba was an Inuzuka like she suspected and the dog he had was named Akamaru. Chouji she found out was an Akimichi, while Shika was a Nara. His full name was Shikamaru but Naruto and the others liked to shorten it.

"She doesn't look old enough to be your mom," Kiba said staring at Kaya.

"I adopted Naruto," Kaya replied easily before Naruto could shout at him or something.

"Aren't you that weird lady that pulled out a huge banner when we first started?" Kiba inquired.

"Yes."

"That's kinda rude to say," Chouji told him between each bite.

"I really don't mind," Kaya told him.

"But mama!" Naruto interjected.

"Naruto I _know_ I'm weird," Kaya responded. "I really don't care if others think so either."

"But-"

"It's fine."

"So troublesome," Shikamaru muttered under his breath.

"Okay so what do you guys want to do?" Kaya asked curiously.

"Tag!"

"Play shinobi!"

"Eat out!" Kiba, Naruto, and Chouji all shouted what they wanted to do. They glared at each other when they heard all of the different responses.

"How about we play tag for a while, then shinobi, and afterwards I'll buy ice cream," Kaya said to placate them.

"Fine," the three intoned in unison.

Kaya ended up being the person having to chase everyone around. It was easy to catch Shika as he didn't even try to run. Lazily he made his way around and tagged Chouji. After a while they learned to not tag Shika as he didn't try to participate. Naruto and Kiba were the two who got the most involved in the game. If someone tagged them then they would go after them with a determination like no other. Kaya found it amusing as she dodged their attempts. She didn't need to try too hard to get away from them as they were only children. All of them had fun running around. When they switched games and started to play shinobi Kaya was amused. She found it hilarious to play shinobi when she already was one. It was also fun to see all the rules the children made up and how they switched it so often. An hour later the children had calmed down and were exhausted. Shikamaru was the only exception as he hardly participated.

"Okay let's get some ice cream," Kaya announced. The children perked up an became more animated.

"I want chocolate!" Naruto shouted.

"Strawberry!" Kiba exclaimed following Naruto's example.

"Every flavor!" Chouji announced.

"Vanilla…" Shikamaru lazily replied.

"Give me a second to get it, okay?" Kaya told them as she headed off to the vendor. Shikamaru decided to follow her and help out as the other boys began to wrestle around. "Thanks for helping me with the ice cream," Kaya said as Shikamaru followed her. Shikamaru didn't respond verbally but he did nod his head in acknowledgement. This didn't bother Kaya. She tended to be quiet herself when she wasn't with certain people. She ordered the ice cream, handing Shikamaru Chouji's and his cones. In one hand she held Kiba's and the other contained her ice cream and Naruto's. Kaya paid the vendor and headed back to the park where the rest of the boys were.

"Yay, ice cream!" Naruto exclaimed running towards her. He immediately took his chocolate cone and began to lick the ice cream.

"Thanks," Kiba said as he took his cone. Every now and then Akamaru would steal a lick.

Once everyone was finished with their ice cream cones they went their separate ways. The boys promised to play with Naruto some other time as they went home for dinner. Naruto was a little disappointed they had to go but he was happy with the promise that they would play again. Kaya told him they seemed like nice kids. Naruto agreed as he talked more about them and how they met. Apparently Naruto asked to play with Kiba during break and they had started spending time together since. Kaya smiled as he talked about the boys she had just met. The evening calmed down as they went home to eat and sleep.

In the morning Kaya kissed Naruto's head before leaving the apartment. She left some food and plenty of money for him to eat while she was gone. Kaya was the second to arrive at the meeting spot. The first one there had been Masao. Both stood in an awkward silence. Neither of them felt the need to talk to the other. The heavy atmosphere was alleviated slightly when Eiji arrived. He immediately began chatting with Kaya. When their sensei arrived it became silent again as he brought the clients with him.

Their clients were very unique. The caravan they would be escorting appeared to be a traveling troupe of performers, not quite a circus group though. Each individual stood out with their respective styles and personalities. The bright colors they wore were eye catching. Kaya hoped they wouldn't get hit by to many bandits considering how much they stood out. It would be the team's first time guarding such a large group. Kaya was uncertain if they could do it considering the rift in their team work. She decided that they would have to make do. Everyone checked their supplies again before they set out to leave. Their sensei logged them out with the gate guards.

"Well let's get going," their sensei called out. Kaya and the others got into guard positions and moved out.

*******Line***

**TBC!**

**Next chapter will be the actual mission so look out! ^^ Also in case anyone has forgotten I do have a poll on my page that asks which character you want to see Kaya with! Feel free to PM and tell me if you have a person in mind! Please R&R and have a great week!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: Don't own Naruto and I doubt I could keep it going as long as it has if I did.**

**Warnings: OCs, violence, swearing, and probably more….**

***Line***

The sun beat down on their bodies as they made their way to Tea Country. Kaya didn't expect it to be so warm but was glad she had opted out of her black clothing for some grey material. She would get heat stroke otherwise. It was late September going into early October so the warmth was expected to an extent. The caravan seemed to have no problems but Kaya could see her teammates sweating. Hopefully they would get relief soon. In order to make sure no one passed they would take quick breaks every two hours in order to drink water and check on everyone. This made their progress slow. It was better safe than sorry though so the shinobi didn't complain.

Eiji seemed to get along with the acrobats as he chatted with them. The girls in the troupe would giggle at his jokes. A few of the guys would ask what it was like being a shinobi. Masao on the other hand talked with the crew that set everything up. He talked about what kind of work they had to do and asked for pointers. Kaya stayed away from the group not in the mood to talk. She preferred to observe everyone and everything. There were a few people in the troupe that tried to talk to her; however her silence made them believe she was ignoring them. She wasn't but didn't feel the need to correct them.

When the sun began to set it was a relief to everyone. The air began to cool and they could finally rest their weary limbs. Kaya and her team found a clearing and decided it would be best to stop for the night. They didn't know when the next open clearing would be and did not want to travel in the dark. As shinobi they would be able to maneuver better than civilians but it would be a risk. Kaya helped collect firewood and leaves for a fire while Eiji and Masao made a fire pit. The troupe set up tents and locked up their equipment. Once everything was set up the women converged together to start making dinner. Kaya decided to help much to the troupe's shock. The women gladly welcomed her assistance as they had her cut the vegetables and watch the pot simmer. "Wow and here I thought she was some ice queen or something," one of the guys muttered.

"Naw, she's a bit antisocial at times but once you get to know her she's really nice," Eiji told him, having overheard his statement.

"So are you two dating?" the guy asked turning towards Eiji.

"Hell no," Eiji replied shocked. A shiver went down his spine at the thought. "She may be nicer when you get to know her but she's still a demon if you piss her off. Kaya scares the hell out of me sometimes. I'm not some masochist."

"Wouldn't she be even nicer to the person she dated?" the guy inquired confused.

"I don't know for sure but she strikes me as the type that would be bossy," Eiji replied. He may like Kaya as a friend but he didn't delude himself to her whole personality. She had her good sides and her many bad sides. "Besides she's not my type and it'd be like dating one of my sisters. Not going to happen."

The food was passed out soon after Eiji's statement. He took the food provided eagerly. Being one of the shinobi, he had to be on the lookout even during breaks. That left little time to eat properly. The men thanked the women for the food and dug in. One of the musicians in the group began to play some lighthearted music while they ate. A few people danced with their plates in their hands. It was very relaxing and entertaining. Once the food was gone the troupe made room around the fire to do some dancing and tell tales. The camp was divided by age. The children were watching the activities, or listening to the older generation. The teens and young adults danced the night away, while the older generation sat and told tales or playing music.

The party did not last long. They still had another couple of full day's journey until they would make it even close to their destination. Kaya took first shift as she didn't participate in the activities beyond clearing the plates. A few guys had asked her to dance but she refused. Eiji called the next shift after her. He didn't mind Kaya waking him up but he did not want to see how Masao or their sensei would do it so he took that shift. After him their sensei would be on shift followed by Masao. Having their schedules figured out, the three not on first shift went to sleep in order to be well rested for their own shift.

Nothing happened during Kaya's watch. There was a faint breeze and a few animals that scurried about but nothing else. It was boring but Kaya was able to keep vigil by identifying each noise that she heard and silently practicing her katas. When her time was up she headed towards the boys tent and woke up Eiji. Eiji grumbled at first, wanting to sleep some more, but eventually woke up. He may not like it but he knew he had a job to do. Once he was up and about Kaya fell asleep. Her dreams were peaceful and of mini adventures with Naruto. It startled her when she was abruptly woken up by her sensei's shout. Jumping up from the bed she ran out of her tent to see something she wasn't expecting.

Shinobi from a small village were attacking the troupe. Making sure she had all of her gear, Kaya rushed into the battle. Eiji and Masao were right behind her having also heard their sensei's shout. All of them were ready and prepared for the worst. The few troupe members that were up hid themselves as best as they could. The ones that were sleeping were discreetly moved by their friends that were awake. There were only three shinobi, however they were at least chuunin level or higher if the skill they showed were anything to go by. Their sensei was fighting the strongest one so Masao broke off to fight one of the remaining two. Eiji and Kaya teamed up to fight the remaining member of the attackers.

Their sensei and the man he was facing were using mostly ninjutsu techniques. Kaya and her teammates knew he was a ninjutsu specialist but they had never known that he knew so many offensive jutsus. A few earth techniques were used as the ground split open and jagged spikes came out of the ground. The opponent dodged all of the attempts but was hit by a barrage of shuriken hidden by a genjutsu. It wasn't fatal though and the man continued to try to press their sensei into a corner. He was not having it as he used a few fire balls and wind attacks to blow his opponent back. None of them had the time to be impressed by their sensei's skill as they had their own battles to focus on. Their sensei then used a genjutsu to terrorize the enemy's mind before getting in close to bind him with the rope.

Masao was able to hold his own against the enemy nin with barely any struggle. There were a few moves he wasn't able to dodge so he received some cuts, bruises, and burn marks. His opponent was a fire jutsu user. It helped that Masao's had an affinity for water to minimalize the damage. Masao still mostly relied on taijutsu and his power in the fight. Considering his opponent was a chuunin according to their sensei he was doing very well. Using one final punch to the gut, Masao was able to subdue his opponent. He then used the back of his kunai to knock the enemy out and tied them up with some wire he had for traps.

Eiji and Kaya made a decent partner team. Kaya was the one in the front lines using taijutsu and her arsenal of weapons while Eiji was in the back providing support. He would use genjutsu on the enemy in order to confuse them or set up traps for Kaya to lead the enemy into. They knew each other's strengths fairly well after sparring together for so long. Kaya kept having to dodge the punches sent her way from the enemy nin as the person used tiger claws. It was a weapon that held multiple blades and you would hold the handle. The weapon was shaped much like a tiger's claw and was great for close combat. Every time Kaya dodged a hit she would nick the enemy's arms or stomach with one of her own weapons. Currently she was trying to cut her opponent with a katana. Eiji threw a powerful genjutsu at their opponent causing the enemy to lose his balance and allowing Kaya to get up close to knock him out. She punched him in the solar plexus and then the back of the head. This knocked the enemy unconscious and took his breath away. Grabbing some rope they both the enemy up in record time.

The troupe breathed a sigh of relief when they saw the Konoha shinobi taking out the attacking nin. It made them glad that they had hired the shinobi. Their sensei's enemy was the only one conscious by the end of the fight. The man showed little fear as their sensei pulled him up. "You will tell us what we want to know," their sensei ordered. "Why are you attacking some passing civilians? You seem to have some goal in mind. What is it that you want?"

"Like I would tell you," the man spat out. Their sensei wiped away the spit with disgust before slapping the enemy across the face.

"See we can make this easy or you can be difficult," their sensei stated. "Being difficult results in more pain. Doing this the easy way is much simpler." The man glared at him.

"I doubt you have the balls to do that with your precious gennin nearby," the man retorted. He wore a smug expression believing he had won. Their sensei stomped on the nin's injured leg. The man let out a pained grunt.

"My so called 'precious gennin' could always use some field experience. I don't believe in babying them or holding their hand."

After saying that, he began to hit the enemy's weak points and used the man's injuries against him. Eiji stared at the whole thing with his mouth open. He knew that their sensei was a little more brutal than most but he hadn't expected to see their sensei give a light interrogation while on a mission. Masao studied what their sensei did extensively. Kaya was sure that Masao was considering the Torture and Interrogation Corps judging by the look on his face. She herself just stared at the scene. It wasn't the worst thing she had ever seen however it was unexpected.

The man began to talk soon after their sensei started to break his bones. The man was assigned to get this gem that was rumored to be carried by the caravan. He and his men were supposed to take the gem and whoever held it to their boss. Any details of what would happen after that were lost but apparently they were supposed to keep the person alive and for the most part well. Their sensei took this all in quietly. He then asked the members of the caravan to speak up on the matter. No one knew what was going on and none of them seemed to know of the gem the enemy nin spoke of. Kaya was sure that the woman hiding in the shadows of her tent was the one with the gem. She hadn't stepped forward or given any information.

Since the man was not giving up any more information their sensei knocked him out. He then took all of the enemies and disposed of them. Kaya and the others weren't sure what he did but when he came back their sensei looked satisfied. Their sensei urged the troupe to get back to sleep. Reluctantly the members went back into their tents and fell asleep. Masao took up the next shift as it was already past their sensei's turn. Kaya and Eiji thanked him as they went back to sleep. The rest of the night was peaceful. There were no more bandits or late night attackers to wake them up. In the morning they woke up refreshed.

Immediately the caravan was on the road traveling towards their destination. They had a quick breakfast and ate while they walked. Kaya walked near the woman she noticed the night before. At first she kept quiet but then she casually asked for the woman's name. The woman told her it was Amatsu Nami. Nami had long brown hair braided in a high pony tail and topaz colored eyes. She was quiet and polite to a fault. Kaya enjoyed talking to her. "So why were the shinobi after you?" Kaya inquired lightly. Nami stared at her shocked.

"I-I don't know what you-you're talk-ing about," Nami told her nervously.

"I think you do," Kaya told her this time serious. "I saw you hiding when the shinobi came. That's normal what was unusual was the way you stiffened and tried to hide further in the shadows once the gem was mentioned. What is so important about it and why do they want you along with the stone?"

"There is no gem and I have no idea what you're talking about," Nami responded.

"Even my sensei noticed your unusual behavior last night. He probably didn't call you out on it so as to not bring attention, however if it will endanger our mission we have the right to know," Kaya informed her. Nami looked hesitant to talk but eventually consented. Kaya signaled for her sensei to come over. He did so promptly while Eiji and Masao filled in the gaps his absence left.

"Yes?" her sensei inquired.

"Nami here has something important to tell us," Kaya informed him. "It pertains to what happened last night."

"I'm listening."

Nami began to tell them everything. She mentioned how she was minor nobility with her family involved mostly in healing and medical training. She herself knew basic first aid and would eventually become a doctor before either taking over the seat of nobility or being married off. The gem the shinobi were after was a sapphire stone that was able to heal up to the most extensive injuries. At least that is how her family used the gem the stone could also cause harm to others as it absorbed pain. It was one of a kind and very expensive. Many people wanted the stone. She thought that by keeping a low profile and joining the caravan she would throw off any unwanted attention while she carried the stone to Tea Country for her uncle to keep it safe. Nami had even been the one to suggest that they hire shinobi from Konoha due to all the bandits. Someone must have leaked her location because there were very few that knew of her journey.

Kaya's sensei talked with Nami some more while Kaya filled in Eiji and Masao. They were in a bit of a dilemma. If the situation had been leaked then that made the mission at least a B rank for higher level chuunin to lower level jounin. Nami wasn't the one to hire them however so it still fell into their mission parameters to be technical. Their employer was the one unaware of the situation. Kaya wondered whether they would continue the mission or get a different escort while pushing up the ranking of the mission. Seeing her sensei go back to his position showed them all that their sensei had decided to keep going. If he had called them to a stop then that would mean he was revoking the mission.

Eiji and Masao were even more on edge. Kaya was always paranoid and that did not change much. Instead of chatting like they had been doing the boys became quiet. The caravan was confused and worried by this sudden change. Their sensei assured them everything was fine that they were only reacting to the threat that had appeared last night. Everyone in the troupe was still leery but made no further comments. For hours the tense atmosphere settled over everyone. It finally lifted when it was time for lunch and no one else had attacked. The troupe began to talk again and Eiji and Masao began to relax a bit. They didn't let their guard down but they talked a bit more with the troupe.

By afternoon the peaceful atmosphere vanished. Shinobi attacked the caravan once again. There were four enemies attacking. Children cried out in fear as parents would shelter them. Kaya and Masao sprung out to attack while Eiji and their sensei stood back to provide support. Their sensei urged them to continue going at least a little further in order to get out of the way. The leader of the troupe listened as he urged the members further on. Masao and Kaya were having a difficult time with the new batch of shinobi. They were of a higher level than the previous ones. Masao and Kaya also didn't have the same abilities to work together like Eiji did with Kaya. They knew the basics of the other's strengths, however after the rift they had trained a lot and improved.

Their sensei adding support by breaking up the ground with an earth jutsu helped immensely. They weren't sure how they would do if they had been alone. Eiji also provided support in the way of exploding tags and traps. He had tried using a genjutsu only to have it thrown off violently. That cut out a lot of his attacks that he could use as he was more of a genjutsu user. Kaya covered this hole by using her shuriken, senbon, and kunai. Very few of her weapons hit but the ones that did left a painful reminder. She had coated her weapons in a numbing poison. It would numb the limb yet it still caused pain to the nerves that it touched. It was something she had come up with after seeing another weapons mistress in action.

Masao was punching at the enemy in rapid succession as he tried to corner them. It wasn't working but he was at least able to hold them off. Meanwhile, the enemy was using sequence techniques. One member would cast a jutsu only to have it set off another member of their team's trap and cause a chain reaction. Kaya wasn't able to avoid all of it as she felt a kunai stab her shoulder. She ignored the pain in order to throw her own weapons. Unfortunately none of them hit her target and one of the enemies nin got up close. Kaya was able to use her short sword to block the dirk coming towards her. She was able to parry most of the hits however her opponent got a good slice across her stomach. If Kaya hadn't jumped back there would have been more damage. As it stood she only had a cut across her stomach.

Eiji threw a few shuriken trying to get the enemy's attention away from Kaya but the enemy just batted the shuriken away easily. The enemy pressed on causing Kaya to trip as she didn't notice the branch behind her. She fell to the ground with a thud and lost her breath. The enemy raised their dirk to stab her but Kaya was quick enough to stab the enemy with her short sword. Blood splattered against Kaya's arm and speckled her face and torso. Kaya was shocked as the nin slid down her sword even more until they reached the hilt. The weight above her pressed into her. She didn't know what to do. All Kaya could focus on was the body above her. The expression of the person above her was one of shock and pain. She watched as the enemy took deep gasps of breath until they finally stuttered to breath and then ceased all together. The world could be falling apart around her and all Kaya would notice was the body above her.

The others fought harder once they realized their comrade was dead. Their sensei got more involved in the fight as he jumped forward. He noticed the dazed expression on Kaya's face and decided to speak with her later. He did not like her choices but she was still his responsibility. Using one of his more deadly techniques he unleashed a mini tornado towards the enemies. As they were blown away he rushed forward and effectively knocked one out before pinning another. Masao was right behind him going after the final member while Eiji supported him. Swiftly he knocked out the one he had pinned and assisted his students in knocking out the final one. Once they were all knocked out he tied them up expertly.

Kaya was still lying where he had last seen her. Her sensei sighed as he eased the dead body off of Kaya and decided to properly bury her before talking with Kaya. It was an easy process as he used an earth jutsu to open up a whole in the ground before dumping her inside and closing it behind her. Once that was done he gently shook Kaya. Her eyes focused on him but her sensei wasn't sure if she was really seeing him. "Kaya?" he murmured inquiringly.

"Sensei?" the girl replied slowly. Her eyes blinked once. He figured that was a start.

"How are you feeling?" he asked cautiously.

"I'm fine," Kaya responded. He looked at her skeptically. It was obvious that there was something wrong. Eiji and Masao were coming up to see what was going on but he motioned them to go ahead and that he would deal with it. Masao nodded and quickly left while Eiji hesitated. Eventually he moved to catch up with the caravan when their sensei glared at him.

"I highly doubt that."

"Really I'm fine just a bit banged up…"

"Kaya you just killed someone," her sensei stated. She flinched at his factual tone. "You need to discuss this at some point. Now is not the time as we have to complete the mission, however when we get back I am recommending you to see someone."

Kaya didn't even bother to argue with her sensei. Everything he said was correct and she knew he was trying to help her in his own way. Reluctantly she got up and headed towards the caravan. Her sensei watched her with a careful eye to make sure she wouldn't do anything reckless. If the troupe thought she was quiet before she became dead silent. Any inquiries were met with a blank stare. Nami felt responsible for Kaya's condition and became a recluse. Eiji wished he could go see what was wrong however he had to keep in formation. It wasn't until the evening that he was able to corner her when the caravan had settled in for the night.

Eiji helped the troupe set up camp before heading towards Kaya. She barely glanced his way. This was a cause of worry as she always faced people that came towards her. Partly because of manners and partly due to how paranoid she was. Eiji rested a hand on her shoulder. Kaya flinched away before noticing who it was. "Are you okay?" he inquired worriedly.

"I'm fine…" Kaya replied unconvincingly.

"You don't sound okay," Eiji told her. "What's going on?"

"Nothing…"

"Kaya."

"Really I'm fi-"

"Don't bullshit me," Eiji told her warningly. Kaya closed her mouth. "Ever since that last battle something has been bothering you."

"I killed someone," Kaya blurted out. Eiji looked at her shocked.

"What?"

"You were too busy helping Masao to notice but I killed one of the enemies!" Kaya whispered harshly. "I was trying to parry a blow and then I fell and she was about to stab me and I couldn't let that happen so I stabbed her first and blood was everywhere and I-I killed someone…" Kaya looked freaked out as she whispered the last part. Eiji wasn't sure what to say as he stared at her. Finally he pulled her into a hug.

"It's not all bad," Eiji told her comfortingly. "It's not like you enjoyed it or anything. Besides, it was either you or her and I'm glad it's you that's alive."

They sat in silence for a while with Kaya taking comfort from Eiji's hug. A few people watched them curious about what was going on. Masao didn't acknowledge either of them, having no idea what was going on with either of them. Finally Kaya retired to bed taking the last watch of the evening. Her dreams were fitful and filled with nightmares. All she could see was blood and the woman's face flashing before her eyes. It horrified her and she ended up unable to sleep. Kaya was awake long before it was her shift. Masao was the one to wake her up in the morning for her shift. Reluctantly she got out of bed.

"Are you okay?" Nami asked her while she was on watch. Kaya looked at her blankly for a minute.

"I'm fine," Kaya replied. She felt like some broken record after she repeated it so much. There was no way she was fine however she didn't want to talk about it.

"Is it something I did?" Nami inquired nervously.

"No, it's something else."

"Well that's good. I mean not that you being anything but okay is _good_ but I'm glad it wasn't because of me or something-"

"You really don't need to worry so much. Really."

"If you're sure…"

"I am."

"Well then…I'll just go help make breakfast or something," Nami said fidgeting. When Kaya gave no reply to that she walked to where a group of females were already forming. Kaya watched her go with a flicker of a smile. She liked Nami. Nami was timid and shy but could be confident when someone was injured.

The rest of their journey to Tea Country was peaceful. There were no bandits and no shinobi showed up to attack them. The group still kept their guard up especially after what happened the day before. Kaya was extremely paranoid, more so than usual, but was better than she was the day before. Eiji was tense but played it off whenever someone talked to him. Masao was the only one who didn't show any change as he didn't know what Kaya had done the day before. Their sensei kept a closer eye on all of them. When they reached Tea all of them let out a sigh of relief.

Nami was practically bouncing when they arrived in Tea. Her uncle was there to greet her there with his own entourage. Kaya approved of her uncle when it came to guarding the gem. Nami's uncle was open and honest with only a bit of a manipulative streak. He meant well though and Kaya could see it in how he interacted with everyone. Her aunt had been the same way before she died. Nami's uncle invited them all out to lunch in order to show his appreciation for guarding his niece. Their sensei gladly accepted. Even the troupe was invited to come. Kaya thought Nami was only a minor noble, yet it seemed like she was much higher up as her uncle paid for everything. She figured it was because Nami didn't like to get a lot of attention put on her.

After dinner Kaya and her teammates headed to a hotel nearby and booked a room. They didn't want to travel at night and felt that they could use the rest. The hotel was a little run down but none of them minded. After sleeping on the ground for the past ten days they didn't care about the hotel's condition. Despite the run down appearance the hotel had a hot springs included. Kaya was the first one to jump up and race to the hot springs much to the males' surprise. She sunk into the water gratefully. The hot water helped with all of her sore muscles. It also took her mind away from other things. She didn't leave the springs for hours.

Once her bath was done Kaya headed back to their shared room and went to sleep. None of the others bothered her as they left to get their own baths. She slept better than the previous night; however Kaya still tossed and turned in her sleep. Her sensei was the only one who noticed as neither Eiji nor Masao woke up. In the morning she felt better. Eiji started to make jokes in order to cheer her up. Masao rolled his eyes and immediately began moving. Kaya appreciated his efforts as she rewarded him with a small smile. He kept it up as they made their way towards Konoha.

The trip to Konoha took a lot less time to reach than their journey to Tea Country did. They ran the whole way and didn't stop for as many breaks. It still took them awhile to get home. When they checked into the gate post it showed that they had been gone for a little over two weeks. Their first priority was to report the mission to the mission's room. Their sensei did most of the talking with the council and told them the majority of the details and how the mission was miss ranked due to someone not coming forward about the situation. He then handed the money over that the uncle paid in compensation.

Kaya's sensei then pulled the Hokage aside to talk with him in private. She could just imagine what they talked about when the Hokage returned. Both were looking at her with concern. Kaya tried to pretend like it didn't bother her but she could tell she failed at that when Hiruzen asked to talk to her. He asked her if she wanted to see a therapist after what she did. She politely declined. Kaya had heard enough from her brothers to know that the therapists generally were unhelpful as they couldn't always relate and the ones that could were crazy. She did not want to have to deal with any of that. She promised Hiruzen that she would talk with her brother Akira about it and wouldn't let it get to her as she had Naruto to worry about. He still looked concerned but let it go.

In order to prove she was going to do something about it she headed to her brothers' house after her meeting with the Hokage. As Kaya expected it was a bit of a mess but not as bad as it was on her last mission. Not finding Akira in the house she decided to clean up while waiting for him. Unfortunately for her Kenishi was the one to walk through the door and not Akira. "What are you doing here?" he sneered at her.

"I was looking for Akira," Kaya replied honestly.

"What for?" Kenishi demanded.

"I just wanted to talk to him about something and get some advice."

"Why should he help you? What have you done for him?"

"Excuse me?" Kaya responded insulted.

"You heard me. Since when have you ever helped him?"

"I clean up this household and cook you guys' meals!"

"So? You've stopped doing that. In fact you're hardly home at all anymore let alone long enough to help us. I don't see why he should help you."

"I don't have to live here in order to help out. Besides I have other obligations than to be your maid."

"Like what?"

"For one thing I'm taking care of a child," Kaya told him angrily. She was getting fed up with her brother's attitude. He could be such a jerk at times.

"Who?" he demanded to know.

"Uzumaki Naruto."

"That demon? How could you betray our family like that?"

"Naruto is _not_ a demon! How can you say that?"

"Haven't you heard the villagers? He's a monster that does nothing but bad and shouldn't even be a part of this village!"

"The villagers are wrong."

"You are not going to take care of him anymore."

"You are not my parent," Kaya told him angrily. "Akira is the head of the house while our parents are gone. He is the oldest and therefore I do not have to listen to you." Kenishi smacked her across the face. She looked at him shocked.

"Get. Out."

"Fine, asshole," Kaya responded angrily. She stomped towards her room and began packing what little she had left in the household. Kaya had completely forgotten about what she had come to talk about. She was angry and annoyed. It was the reaction she had expected from the beginning though. Despite her best efforts their mother could never make Kenishi be more open minded about anything. He was narrow minded and was stubborn about everything. He would argue about everything and even when he was wrong he would act like he was right.

This was the scene Akira came home to. Kenishi was glaring in the hallway and muttering angrily while he heard slamming coming from Kaya's room. Cautiously he moved past Kenishi to see what was going on. He came upon the unexpected sight of Kaya packing. "What's going on?" he asked confused. "When did you get back?"

"I've been back for about an hour or so," Kaya replied. "And what's going on is that Kenishi kicked me out of the house."

"What? He can't do that!" Akira shouted.

"Yeah? Well he did it anyways."

"You don't have to leave."

"It's fine. Besides, I was pretty much moved out anyways."

"Why did he kick you out?"

"I told him I was taking care of Uzumaki Naruto."

"That spastic squirrel? I mean kid…"

"He's really not that bad when you tire him out physically. Once he's tired he's a lot easier to handle."

"Are you going to be alright?"

"I'll be fine."

"Just because he wants to kick you out doesn't mean you're not part of this family," Akira told her seriously. "I will always be here if you need me."

"Thank you…" Kaya told him relieved. She didn't know what she would do if Akira rejected her also.

"No problem. Need any help?"

"No, I got it…although I could use some advice…"

"Okay, shoot."

Kaya then explained what occurred during her mission. She told him about how she killed someone for the first time. Then she described how she felt and the nightmares she had been receiving at night. Akira patiently listened to her. When she was done he wrapped her in a hug. "I can't guarantee that you'll forget and it's probably best that you don't…I can guarantee that you will get used to it. You won't be proud of it and the guilt will probably eat at you every now and then but it gets better. It helps if you concentrate on the reason why you had to kill them or think about who they could hurt if they were on the loose. Like I think about you and some of my friends around the village. If I didn't kill that person could they one day come and kill you guys? It's not much but it helps."

"Thank you," Kaya whispered into his shoulder. They stood there for a few minutes until Kenishi shouted at her to get out of the house. "I suppose I'll see you later…"

"Count on it."

Kaya made her way to Naruto's apartment. He was out like she had predicted considering it was a school day. She started unpacking and rearranging the apartment so all of her stuff would fit. Once that was done she cleaned up and checked the refrigerator. It appeared that Naruto had eaten the food she left. All of the containers were gone and the boxes stacked near the refrigerator. She noticed there wasn't anything left for dinner that night but there was some money left over. Grabbing it she headed out to buy some ingredients for beef stir fry. It was one of her favorites and she could use the pick me up. Naruto arrived home as she finished up making dinner.

"Mama!" he called out excitedly.

"Hey Naru-chan! How was your day?" Kaya inquired.

"Much better now that you are here!"

"Oh you little flatterer," Kaya said smiling fondly. She stared at Naruto for several minutes taking in every detail.

"Are you okay?" Naruto inquired tilting his head to the side. Kaya inwardly cursed. If she couldn't fool a child then that meant she must look horrible.

"Don't worry I'm fine."

"If you say so…"

Kaya distracted him by setting his plate of food in front of him. She then asked about how his days were while she was gone. Naruto told her about the pranks he pulled on Tori-sensei for being so mean. He talked about how 'the old man' visited him and that he got to play with Kiba, Chouji, and Shikamaru some more. After that Kaya told Naruto about her mission. She left out the part when she killed someone and embellished the journey a bit. Instead of Nami being a minor noble she told him that Nami was a princess with supernatural powers. Naruto listened, enraptured with the story. When she finished he applauded. Kaya gave a small bow before asking him to help her with the dishes. He jumped up, wanting to help his mother since she just got back.

The next day Kaya walked around the market looking for a gift. She had not forgotten about Naruto's birthday coming up. Luckily she had three days in order to prepare for everything. So far all she had was that she shouldn't get him weapons as a gift since it would be inappropriate for a birthday present. That didn't leave her with a lot of options but she figured she would eventually see something. Her assumption was correct as she saw some aloe vera plants and a few other herbs. Naruto had shown an interest in plants before and she figured she might as well buy some that could also help him. Kaya's plan was to stop there and call it a day when she saw a black fuzz ball hiding in an alley way. Cautiously Kaya walked towards it.

The ball of fluff ended up being a kitten. It was small and had bright blue eyes with long black and grey fur that was matted down. She thought it was the most adorable thing ever. Crouching next to it she held out her hand. The kitten came forward and sniffed her hand cautiously. Apparently it decided it liked her as it bumped its head against her hand. She began to pet it before picking it up. "Naruto is going to adore you," Kaya told the kitten. Checking its gender she found that it was a boy. "Come on let's go home and get you cleaned up." When Naruto arrived at the apartment after school he was shocked.

"Mama? What's this?" Naruto asked picking up the blackish grey kitten.

"Part of your birthday present," Kaya replied.

"But my birthday's not for a few days…"

"I decided to get him now."

"What's his name?"

"He doesn't have one. Why don't you pick one?"

"Fluffy? No. Neko-chan? No not that either…Momo? Rei? Keitaro? Kuro?"

"May I make a suggestion?" Kaya asked interrupting Naruto's rambling. He couldn't seem to pick a name and she wanted to show him his other gift.

"Sure," Naruto agreed easily.

"How about Raikou?" Kaya offered.

"Raikou? Hmm…I like it," Naruto said nodding his head. "Your name will be Raikou." The cat began to purr as Naruto petted its fur.

"I also got you this," Kaya said bringing the plant she found earlier forward. Naruto's eyes widened as he inspected it.

"What kind of plant is it?" Naruto asked curiously.

"I got you a rosemary plant along with some devil's claw and calendula but those are set up in your room already."

"Thanks!"

Naruto ran over to check his room with the plant and cat in each of his hands. Kaya had to laugh at his antics and the joy he displayed. She wished he was always like this. She realized eventually Naruto would grow up but she hoped he would always keep his enthusiasm. Walking behind him slowly Kaya wore a sad smile. "Happy Birthday Naruto," she whispered to no one in particular. "May you keep smiling as brightly for many years to come."

**TBC!**

**Glad I could update this on time considering all the activities I've had going on. I've finally graduated from high school and as such have gone to a lot of Graduation parties (including my own which is today) plus my dad has been visiting and he hates when I get on the computer a lot. Well here's to my readers may you enjoy this chapter! Please R&R!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: Don't own Naruto and I doubt I could keep it going as long as it has if I did.**

**Warnings: OCs, violence, swearing, and probably more….**

***Line***

"Happy Birthday Naruto!" chorused through Ichiraku's. A small group had gathered and there was a large cake with candles lit in the middle of one of the tables. Naruto's eyes widened as he took in all of the guests. Eiji was in the corner holding a medium sized gift while his friends; Kiba, Chouji, and Shikamaru, sat at the table. Kaya urged him forward with a gentle push. He approached the table cautiously.

"Come on I already have a bowl of miso ramen ordered for you," Kaya told him gently.

"What is all of this?" Naruto asked confused.

"Your birthday party of course," Kaya replied. "Just because I gave you your presents early doesn't mean I'm skipping out on a party. Come on blow out the candles and make a wish. Then our ramen should be done and we'll have cake afterwards. Okay?"

"Okay," Naruto agreed still in wonder.

"Hurry up then!" Kiba called out impatiently. Naruto rolled his eyes before eying the cake. It was in the shape of a bowl of ramen. The frosting even looked like a bowl of ramen with the bowl being orange and it had bits of fishcakes and vegetables between the noodles. There were seven candles sticking out of the cake. Closing his eyes Naruto took in a deep breath before blowing out the candles. All of them went out at once.

"Looks like your wish will come true," Shikamaru told him lazily.

"Really?" Naruto asked excitedly.

"Supposedly if you blow out all the candles at once your wish will come true," Chouji explained for Shikamaru. Kaya looked puzzled.

"I thought you just had to blow out the candles," she told them.

"It probably depends on the family," Eiji said shrugging.

"So what did you wish for?" Kiba asked curiously.

"Well-" Naruto began however Eiji cut him off.

"He can't tell you what he wished for if he wants it to come true!"

"Whatever let's just have dinner," Shikamaru muttered.

As soon as he said that Teuchi came out with all of their bowls along with the help of his daughter, Ayame. Naruto and Kiba cheered as they dug into their bowls. Chouji was right behind them trying to out eat them. Shikamaru and Kaya were by far the calmest ones there as they slowly began to eat their meals. Even Eiji was slightly hyper. There were plenty of jokes made about each other's eating habits. Once their first bowls were done Naruto, Kiba, and Chouji all requested a second bowl. Teuchi looked at Kaya to see if she was okay with that, and she nodded her consent. She had saved up enough money to pay for a second bowl for everyone. Eiji and Shikamaru didn't bother with a second bowl as they were waiting for cake.

Kaya cut the cake for everyone once they were done with their bowls of ramen. Teuchi took the bowls away and brought plates for them. She made sure that Naruto got the first choice followed by the rest of his friends. Once they got their slices she finally cut out some pieces for Eiji and her. Eiji thanked her promptly causing the children to also exclaim their thanks. Kaya chuckled and waved it off. The cake was chocolate with crisp vanilla frosting. They all enjoyed eating the cake. "Thanks for inviting me," Eiji told her as he stood away from the main table with the children.

"I should be thanking you for coming," Kaya responded. "I wanted to make this birthday special for Naruto since it seemed like he didn't have a lot of good memories of this day."

"Well it is October 10th," Eiji told her. "Most people are getting prepared for the festival tonight. How did you even know it was his birthday? I thought he didn't tell you because he was so shy about certain things."

"I asked the Hokage," Kaya replied. "He seems to have a soft spot for Naruto…or well children in general I suppose…"

"Makes sense," Eiji responded nodding. He observed how the children devoured the cake before his eyes until there was barely anything left. "Looks like we should start opening gifts soon since the cake is gone."

"You have a point," Kaya agreed. "Alright chidlins time for gifts!"

"Chidlins?" Eiji muttered behind her back. Kaya ignored him as she set all the gifts in front of Naruto.

"Open mine first!" Kiba told him. Naruto looked at all the presents wondering which one it was. "It's the red one!" Considering there was only one red package, Naruto found the gift easily. He tore into it excitedly wanting to know what his friend got him. There was a brown box staring at him when he ripped off the wrapping paper and inside contained the true prize. Inside the box were a couple of cheap pranks that you could get from the store along with a handmade card. Naruto stared at the gift in amazement before talking Kiba in a hug. Kiba gloated that his gift was the best. Chouji reminded him that there were still three more gifts to go. Kiba huffed and was about to start an argument when Naruto told him it was a great gift and he liked it a lot. That seemed to calm Kiba down as he smirked smugly.

The next gift Naruto opened was from Chouji. His gift was a stack of coupons for Ichiraku's ramen along with a couple bags of chips that Naruto liked. Naruto also gave Chouji a hug as he saw his gift. Kiba pouted at that having thought his gift was better. Shikamaru's gift was the next one to be opened. When he opened it up Naruto was a little disappointed to see a shogi set but he still thanked Shikamaru for the gift none the less. He may not care for the game but he was still grateful for the gift. Finally Eiji's gift was opened. Inside were comic books that Eiji thought Naruto would like about heroes and daring adventures. Naruto flipped through the pages excitedly with Kiba reading over his shoulder.

"What about your gift Kaya?" Eiji asked once Naruto had set the comic books back in the box.

"I gave Naruto a black kitten and some plants," Kaya replied. Eiji blinked confused. "Naruto received his gifts from me a couple days ago."

"Ah, that makes sense especially since you probably couldn't bring the kitten into the restaurant," Eiji commented.

They watched as the children ran out of Ichiraku's leaving Kaya with the bill. She expected this as she got up to pay for all the food consumed. Eiji took pity on her and helped pay for a few bowls but that was as far as his generosity ran. Kaya then picked up all of Naruto's gifts and put them in a storage scroll so Naruto could mess with it later. After she collected everything she watched as Naruto and his friends ran around the streets. She watched fondly as they kept switching games every few minutes. It was peaceful and there weren't a lot of people out. Most people were inside preparing for the night's events or were setting up stalls down the main street. Eiji went home soon after telling her he needed to meet up with his family and get ready.

When evening approached Kaya reluctantly pulled Naruto away from his friends. They had to go home anyways to get ready for the festival. Kaya asked if Naruto wanted to go to the festival in the evening like everyone else. Surprisingly Naruto said that he wanted to go home. She wasn't sure what happened but figured he had gone to a previous festival and had a bad experience. Instead of asking for confirmation she told him that was okay as she led him home. They had a peaceful evening filled with card games and storytelling. Kaya would even give impromptu skits with the stories she told Naruto, enrapturing him with the tale. He was on the edge of his seat with each word she spoke. Eventually it became late and he had to go to bed. She went through the normal routine of tucking him in and kissing his forehead. Once she was sure he was asleep she fell into the land of dreams herself.

The next morning Kaya was annoyed when she received summons from the academy to talk to Tori-sensei about her charge. It wasn't on the normal parent-teacher conference day and she had no idea why she was being called in. She didn't think Naruto was behaving horribly to warrant a parent-teacher meeting. Not having another choice she sent word to Eiji that she wouldn't be training with him like she promised as she went to the academy. Being a weekend there were few people at the school. Only those who had work to complete were still in the building along with the guards that walked around every now and then to make sure no one would break in.

Kaya's first impression of Naruto's sensei wasn't very good. Tori-sensei looked how Naruto had described him. He was at least six feet tall with blue hair that was dark and had black highlights. His eyes were topaz and looked disgusted as she walked into the room. She had expected the look as all she heard from Naruto was how mean the teacher was and how much the teacher hated him. A lot of the villagers and parents shared the same look Tori-sensei had whenever they saw Naruto or Kaya with Naruto. "I assume you know why you are here," Tori-sensei told her annoyed.

"Well I can assume it has something to do with Naruto considering I have already graduated from the academy," Kaya replied sarcastically.

"Yes, that brat," Tori-sensei said his glare intensifying.

"So, what do you wish to discuss?" Kaya inquired, rolling her eyes.

"Its future career," he responded.

"Oh?"

"I'll be frank. I don't think the brat has what it takes to be a shinobi. He is slow, his control is atrocious, all of his taijutsu is wrong, and frankly he's a lost case."

"Isn't it too early to be deciding this?" Kaya retorted. Inwardly she was seething. She knew how much Naruto worked at trying to be a great shinobi. He was not the brightest but he was creative and sneaky. Naruto would make a great shinobi in her opinion especially since he was loyal to a fault and was decent with taijutsu unlike the teacher claimed.

"I don't see why we should be bothering if he is never going to learn," he continued.

"What could you do at the age of seven?" Kaya snapped. "Probably nothing. Hell I bet you probably were worse than Naruto at taijutsu when you were his age. I know for a fact that he is doing better than what you claim."

"How dare you come in here accusing-" Tori-sensei began to yell when Kaya cut him off.

"Accusing you? I'm pointing out the flaws in your logic! You claim he is horrible at taijutsu when I have personally seen to it that he can use not only the academy's taijutsu but the basics of several other styles! Excuse me if I find it offensive that you put down my son's skills when I have seen to his training myself! I admit he will probably never be the book type but that's also a good thing. He'll have more practical skills than spouting off random facts that could get him killed! Next time you dare to call a meeting like this why don't you at least make it a real complaint! I know for a fact you hate my son for whatever reason and show unjust favoritism. So take that bastard!" Kaya ranted before storming out of the office. She felt a lot better once she was out of that building.

Part of Kaya knew this would most likely have consequences but she didn't care overly much. All she wanted to do was see Naruto and give him a hug. If he had to put up with this crap everyday then she felt horrible for not being there for him more often. Marching her way to the Hokage's office she glared at everyone in her path. Everyone that saw her avoided eye contact and tried to move out of her way as she let off a bit of killing intent. It wasn't until she saw Naruto chatting with Hiruzen that she finally calmed down. Naruto didn't notice anything off however Hiruzen did.

"Is everything alright?" Hiruzen asked with concern. He was used to seeing Kaya laugh and smile. She was normally well mannered whenever he saw her.

"Peachy," Kaya replied with a fake smile. "I just had to visit the academy and have a quick chat with an insufferable man."

"Ah," he responded understanding fully. He knew of one thing that could anger Kaya easily and that was when people were mean to Naruto. Tori-sensei was at the top of the list of people she hated as far as he knew. He heard both Kaya and Naruto complain about the man.

"Hey Naruto, could you maybe give the Hokage and I a minute to talk alone?" Kaya inquired turning towards Naruto.

"Why?" Naruto questioned right back.

"I just need to tell him something…"

"Okay," Naruto agreed before going to talk to the secretary outside. The secretary was one of few people who didn't mind Naruto as he was nice and would try to help her with her work. It didn't help that he was an adorable child even with the whisker marks.

"So what would you like to discuss?" Hiruzen asked once Naruto was out of earshot.

"Are you sure you can't fire Tori-sensei?" Kaya inquired.

"No, the council has found him to be an adequate sensei for the students," he replied. "What has he done this time?"

"He called me in for a parent-teacher conference," Kaya replied. "It's bad enough he had the gall to look at me with disgust he then put down Naruto! He kept going on about how Naruto could never be a shinobi which is bullshit in my opinion. Then he insulted Naruto's taijutsu which I have been teaching him months before he joined the academy! Naruto's much better than those other brats at that. Besides I've been teaching him about weapons and other skills and that asshole says Naruto can't be a shinobi? He's so aggravating!" Hiruzen listened to this all patiently.

"What did you do after telling him all of this?" Hiruzen asked. Kaya raised an eyebrow and looked at him. "Knowing you, you probably yelled as you gave your complaints." Kaya grumbled but nodded her head in agreement.

"I did nothing else. All I did was storm out of the room after slamming my hands against the desk," Kaya replied.

"Is that all you did?"

"Yes. Then I came here right away."

"I'll see what I can do but really I doubt the council will agree with me if I call him unfit…"

"As long as you try it's all good."

Kaya then left as the Hokage started to do his paperwork. It was a silent dismissal that Kaya didn't mind. She wasn't one to say goodbye to someone. Naruto was still talking to the Hokage's secretary when Kaya emerged from his office. He was chatting a mile a minute. Once he saw Kaya he said goodbye to the secretary and bounded over to Kaya. Naruto began questioning her as they strolled out of the Hokage tower. He wanted to know what happened while he wasn't there. Kaya told him she was just bringing up concerns she had for something. She told him not to pry any further as it was rather boring and held no interest. He argued otherwise but didn't ask any more.

They went to train for a couple hours before visiting the park. Naruto was improving a lot when it came to physically fighting while his chakra control could use a lot of work. Kaya gave him a lot of different chakra control exercises hoping it could help at least a little bit. If not now then it would help in the long run. The park they visited had a few children playing but wasn't overly crowded. Kaya pushed Naruto on the swings for a while as they enjoyed one another's company. When they were done swinging she helped Naruto build a sand castle and go on the teeter totter. Both had a good day and finished it off by going to Ichiraku's for dinner. Teuchi welcomed his favorite customers warmly before getting their meals. Normally Kaya would go two days in a row but she was feeling lazy for once.

In the morning Kaya did not want to get up despite knowing she had to. Being a Monday she would have to meet with all of her team in order to take missions. She was hoping for another C rank mission that was close by and would be weeks long. Kaya sighed as she got out of bed and began her normal morning routine. Naruto was just as tired as she was when she woke him up. Both of them hated Mondays with a passion. Having a few minutes to spare Kaya walked Naruto to the academy. She noticed that the atmosphere was gloomy and a lot of civilians were gossiping. There were a surprisingly few amount of people staring at Naruto as they passed. Usually when people whispered they would stare at Naruto hatefully. Kaya wondered if something had happened and how serious it was but decided to figure it out later.

Naruto was upset having to part with Kaya like he normally was but let go. She then headed towards the training grounds to meet with the rest of her team. Masao was the only one there when she arrived. Casually she sat down on one of the giant rocks to wait for everyone else. No words were exchanged between Masao and her. It was pure silence and they could hear each other breath but still continued to say nothing. Eiji eventually showed up joking about always being the last one there. He immediately took a seat next to Kaya and began talking. Minutes passed and their sensei still wasn't there. It surprised them as their sensei was always a punctual man.

After an hour of waiting, they were all getting seriously worried about the man. Their sensei had not shown up yet which was unusual. Finally a masked ANBU arrived at their training grounds. All of them jumped startled by the visitor. They wondered if their sensei was in the hospital or something considering the person who showed up. "Where is our sensei?" Eiji cautiously inquired after a moment of silence. None of them were positive but they thought the ANBU was staring at each one of them levelly behind the mask he or she wore. There were no indicators of what gender the ANBU was.

"Your team is dismissed for the next week," the ANBU told them monotonously.

"What? Why?" Eiji asked with Kaya and Masao echoing his sentiments.

"Last night while on patrol your sensei was killed," the ANBU replied. "You are dismissed until we can find a replacement for him. It is encouraged that you train by yourselves and find ways to get over your sensei's death in the meantime." Having nothing more to say the ANBU disappeared leaving all three of them behind gaping. None of them knew what to do.

Kaya may have disliked her sensei's attitude towards her son but she didn't want him dead. She wanted him to see the fine young man her son would grow up to be. Hearing of his death shocked her especially since he shouldn't have been on patrol duty in the first place. Once a jounin took on a team they were given easier missions unless it was a time of war. Masao was trying not to cry as he had been the closest to their sensei. Both had bonded while Eiji and Kaya drifted from their team. To hear of his death was like losing a family member. Eiji was unsure of what to think of the whole situation. He felt numb and didn't know what to do. On one hand he felt he should cry but on the other he couldn't muster up the tears to do so. After fifteen minutes of just sitting where they were they left the training grounds. Masao wanted to be left alone and Kaya and Masao respected that.

"Isn't your brother a jounin?" Eiji asked breaking the ice.

"Yes, why?" Kaya replied.

"Maybe he'll be our new sensei since he doesn't have a team of his own yet," Eiji said contemplatively. He figured he could sort out his thoughts on their sensei later. All he wanted to do was try to be normal and act like nothing happened. Plus he was curious as to who would take over now that their sensei was gone.

"I doubt it," Kaya responded. "Having my brother on the team would be a conflict of interest. If we were to get into a dangerous situation he most likely would not keep a cool head. People tend to get more worried when it's their family's life on the line. Besides there is always the possibility of favoritism. Not that my brother would do either of those but for these reasons the council and Hokage would not have my brother put on the same team."

"I see…Well I suppose that makes sense."

"Besides you wouldn't want Akira to train us."

"Why?"

"He's a demon when it comes to training. How do you think I became so good at dodging projectiles and using weapons? Akira trained me a lot before and during my academy days. He was relentless and ruthless. I can't imagine if he were to train all of us especially with his obstacle course from hell. Why do you think I'm so paranoid?"

"I thought you loved your brother."

"Just because I love him doesn't mean I'm going to sugar coat it. He's a great guy outside of training though. The second he stops he's all jokes and smiles."

"Your family from what I hear is odd."

"Don't I know it."

"So want to go train by ourselves?"

"Sure."

They went to an unused training ground and began to train. After a while it became obvious that neither of them were quite focused on their moves as both of them got injured. Both of them had cuts and bruises from their spar. Kaya grimaced at the pain while Eiji whined. Neither of them were medics but they were able to patch the other up. They realized it probably wasn't a good idea to spar while their minds were preoccupied with their sensei's death. Kaya told Eiji they should postpone it until their heads were clear. Eiji agreed with her as they plopped down. Instead of leaving they decided to talk.

Both of them shared tales and thoughts of their late sensei. Kaya told him how she thought their sensei was a bit arrogant the first time she met him until she had seen him in training. She mentioned how she admired his skill with a blade even if he almost never used one as he preferred ninjutsu. Then she told him about having wanting to introduce their sensei to Naruto once he became a shinobi. Eiji patiently listened until she finished speaking. He then told Kaya about how their sensei would sometimes give him extra training with chakra control. Apparently their sensei had even visited his house once to drop off some scrolls for him outside of training. Once they ran out of things to say they sat in silence. When it was time for the academy to let its students out Kaya finally parted from Eiji who waved her away in understanding.

Naruto noticed something was up as soon as he saw his mother but didn't say anything as she looked so sad. He did look at her worriedly which didn't go unnoticed. Kaya told him that she would tell him everything once they got home. Naruto nodded his head in understanding as he began chatting about his day hoping that it would cheer her up. It took Kaya's mind off of things and she did begin to smile as he prattled on about his day. This encouraged him to talk more as he noticed her mood lightening. When it came to training he worked harder than before as Kaya watched from the sidelines. She praised him for his determination and treated him to some dango for a reward before taking him home. Kaya listened to the whispers this time and caught the words "Uchiha" and "Massacre" floating about. She wasn't able to hear everything as Naruto dragged her home.

In the next week that Kaya had off multiple things happened. Kaya heard in depth about the Uchiha Massacre, courtesy of Uchiha Itachi, and how Uchiha Sasuke was the only survivor. There was a mad scramble for a lot of clan heads to try to take him; however the Hokage said he would live like any other orphan and get a pension until he could provide for himself. Eiji stopped over at the apartment often and would train with Kaya every morning. It helped them cope with the loss of their sensei and they were able to concentrate and improve themselves. Naruto made a breakthrough with the wind technique Kaya taught him not to long ago, and Kaya saw Gai and Lee again. Now she was anticipating the arrival of their new sensei.

All of them were gathered at their normal training ground waiting impatiently for their new sensei. They had all arrived early in their haste to see the person who would be teaching them. Masao was wearing more black than his normal green and tan attire. No one commented it on it though as it was understandable. Two minutes before their usual meeting time a man showed up. He had short, dirty blond hair that was spiked in every direction with turquoise eyes. He appeared to be in his mid to late twenties. There was nothing remarkable about his attire as he looked like most other jounins. He had black pants with a kunai and shuriken holster, dark blue sandals, forest green vest, and mesh shirt.

"Alright midgets show me what you can do," their new sensei ordered. "My name is Tokieno Sano. I don't really care what you call me as long as you listen." Kaya raised her hand once he was done speaking. "Yes?"

"Does every sensei begin their speech the same way?" she inquired. "Because our…previous sensei called us brats when he first saw us but everything else was the same." Sano looked at her blankly.

"I suppose it is just the sensei's choice," he replied. "Now stop dawdling and show me what you can do!"

Immediately the three jumped into fighting positions around their new sensei. Eiji prepared to catch him in a genjutsu or use genjutsu to alter his perceptions. Kaya took out one of her short swords and Masao prepared a jutsu that their previous sensei had taught them. Simultaneously they jumped towards Sano. None of them had really accepted the new man yet but figured fighting him would help. Before any of their attacks could hit him Sano disappeared. Before they could search for him he reappeared behind Eiji and kicked him across the training field. Kaya teamed up with a shower of shuriken, exploding tags, and spears of Earth from Masao's earth jutsu. They were able to scratch their sensei and even from a distance Eiji was able to come up with a genjutsu.

Sano took a few seconds to disable the genjutsu, as Eiji had gotten really well with them. Kaya took these few seconds to get in close and use her short sword to slash his chest. The cut only ripped his clothing avoiding his flesh. Masao then got up close and began a barrage of punches. Eiji prepared a few traps and eyed Kaya who twitched her lips to show she understood. Looking at Masao she used eye contact to point out where the traps were while Sano's back was to hers. Masao then pressed Sano until he went towards the trap and triggered it. He barely made it out with only a few scratches. This continued on for a good hour and twenty minutes.

"Alright that's enough," Sano called out as he noticed the gennin getting tired. "Gather round."

"So how did we do?" Eiji asked when he got closer.

"There were some flaws of course but otherwise about as well as I expected," Sano replied.

"Because that answers everything," Kaya muttered to herself. Sano chose to ignore her as he continued talking.

"Now your teamwork is questionable. I can see that blondy and the girl can get along but apple head needs to become closer with you two. It's obvious that there's a bit of a rift in your group whether it's always been there or not is hard to say given I don't have any previous information on you guys."

"We do have names you know," Eiji said offended.

"So?" Sano replied unperturbed. "As I was saying…Eiji needs more of a repertoire. All you seem capable of is traps and genjutsu. Of course you could know some other things but you haven't shown them although I did tell you guys to not hold back. Kaya you need to either put more power or speed behind your attacks although it was good to try and conserve your energy. Masao you should try to hide what you're going to do next. Your moves are predictable and some needed to be tweaked. That should do for now. Any questions?"

"Is anything going to change?" Masao inquired quietly.

"Such as?"

"Meeting time, meeting place, which days we train or take missions, how long we train, and such."

"Well meeting time and place can stay the same as far as I can tell. As for how long we train I would suggest adding another hour or so to what you guys normally do. Would you prefer to change which days we train and which we do missions?" Sano replied.

"No," all three of them replied after a while. They had gotten used to the schedule they had with their previous sensei. It was a comfort to know it would change much.

"Alright then…dismissed," Sano told them. Masao was quick to leave for once, rushing to get away. Eiji lingered for a minute when he noticed Kaya had moved but left when she gave him a sign that it was okay. Kaya stayed behind in order to talk with their sensei.

"Do you have a second to spare Sano sensei?" Kaya asked when everyone else was out of hearing range.

"I suppose," Sano replied casually. "What do you wish to talk about."

"For one to explain some things about our team dynamic and to ask if there was anything else you thought I needed to improve on," Kaya said honestly.

"You don't seem to have any killing intent behind your attacks. It almost seems like you have lost your desire to fight. All of your attacks seemed weaker than they could be," Sano told her seriously. "If you decided to be a shinobi because you thought it was cool or something I don't think this is the career for you."

"Do you not have any records of our previous missions?" Kaya inquired quietly.

"I only know the basics not in-depth details. Why?"

"On our previous mission I…I got into a tight spot. The enemy was pressing me and I had fallen backwards. They tried to stab me through the heart or something when I impaled them on my short sword…"

"I see. Have you talked to anyone about this?"

"My older brother. He's also a shinobi. Eiji also is aware and so was our previous sensei."

"You better get over this quicker or it could affect your missions."

"I know."

"So, how about the team dynamic?"

"We were much closer a month ago. Masao was extremely close with our previous sensei and would practically worship the ground the man walked on. He listened to everything our sensei said without question. The split formed when they learned that I was taking care of Uzumaki Naruto," Kaya said. She waited to see the reaction Sano had to Naruto's name. There was recognition but no disgust or anything. Sano looked apathetic so Kaya continued. "Our previous sensei for some reason didn't like Naruto and convinced Masao that it was wrong for me to take care of Naruto. After that a rift formed. Eiji and I would go and practice by ourselves while Masao would train with our sensei. We still took mission together but they were mostly D rank. Eventually our teamwork got better as we learned to ignore if not tolerate each other. Eiji and I had started to come back to practices when our sensei died."

"Well as long as Uzumaki doesn't come between your career and training I have no issues with it," Sano told her. "Although picturing him before going into battle might help with your lack of spirit."

"Akira said something similar…" Kaya responded.

"He's correct. It helps to think of loved ones as it will give you more determination and you don't care as much as you believe you're protecting them."

"Thank you for listening."

"Whatever just get going I have things to do."

Kaya bowed respectfully to Sano before leaving. She appreciated his frank attitude a lot more than her previous sensei's callous attitude. They were both harsh in their own ways but she could tell that Sano was more apt to help them out and would probably be a great sensei. The only thing she was worried about is whether Masao would take to him or not. It was obvious that he acted mature but he still had his immature moments and thoughts. He had been completely devoted to their last sensei which worried her. Only time would be able to tell she supposed.

**TBC!**

**Yay I finished another chapter! God I'm in such a good mood ^^ (I had a date this weekend) Anyways I hope you all enjoy this! Please R&R!**


	8. Chapter 8 plus an author note

**Disclaimer: Don't own Naruto and I doubt I could keep it going as long as it has if I did.**

**Warnings: OCs, violence, swearing, and probably more….**

***Line***

Kaya relaxed on the training field as Naruto lay next to her. She had her arm wrapped around his shoulders in a half hug. They had finished training and were both exhausted. Both had decided to run a miniature marathon before sparring together. Two months had passed since Naruto's birthday and Sano had become her sensei. A different routine had shifted into Kaya's life although there wasn't a big difference. Mostly it had to do with Sano being more open and talkative with all of them. During this time Akira had also finally met Naruto. It was an interesting first meeting. Kaya looked back on it fondly.

"_So this is the shrimp?" Akira inquired when he first saw Naruto._

"_Yup," Kaya confirmed. "He's just turned seven a week ago." Naruto looked back and forth curiously. Kaya had told him that he would be meeting her older brother. He wasn't sure what to think about Akira so far._

"_Alright Pip follow me," Akira said turning and walking away. Naruto stared at Akira in confusion until Kaya motioned him to follow Akira. "So Naruto, what do you like to do?"_

"_Well…I like pranking people and training with mama…spending time with friends is great along with eating ramen!" Naruto listed each one with his fingers. Akira ruffled his hair similar to what Kaya would do. Naruto suspected she got the habit from him._

"_I see, I see, I see. Okay then put this on," Akira said handing over a dress and wig._

"_But it's a dress."_

"_So?"_

"_Only girls wear dresses."_

"_Just put it on."_

_Reluctantly Naruto tried on the dress. It was purple with frills and lace all over it. Kaya wondered where he got it since she never wore a dress like that when she was little. She was following behind the two making sure nothing bad would happen. The wig he tried on was the same shade of blond as his normal hair and fell down Naruto's back. Kaya watched amused when Naruto began to spin and get used to the feel of a dress. Akira then dragged Naruto around with him to different shops and places. When people inquired who the blond was he would either say it was his future bride, his daughter, or a child he kidnapped for the day depending on who asked. A few older ladies look scandalized. Before a scene could be made he would then leave the area and move on. After a while he stopped coming up with wild stories and ordered lunch for all of them. No one knew the little blond was Naruto._

Kaya remembered the chaos that came afterwards. The Hokage had been exasperated by their antics and had Akira do a formal apology to some of the people. None of them revealed who the blond was to anyone. Kaya had made sure that she got pictures of the event. She was relieved that Akira and Naruto got along very well. Kaya didn't want to avoid the last member of her family because she would have for Naruto's sake. It also helped when she went on C rank missions out of Konoha as Akira could watch Naruto in her absence.

"Whatcha thinking about?" Naruto asked as he saw Kaya's spaced out expression.

"Just remembering when you met Akira-nii," Kaya replied.

"I like Akira-nii he's funny," Naruto commented.

"He's something all right. So what do you want to do now?"

"Go to the park!"

"Well then off to the park we go," Kaya said as she hoisted herself up. She then helped Naruto to his feet. He accepted the help and then began to skip to the park. Kaya followed behind him laughing at his cheerful demeanor. She knew something was up though as he was fidgeting more than usual. There were multiple possibilities but she decided to find out later once they arrived home.

Once they arrived at the park Naruto dived for the swings. Naruto then looked at Kaya expectantly. Kaya understood as she went behind him and began pushing him on the swing. Both knew that Naruto could swing by himself but both enjoyed the closeness it brought. After a while Kaya began to softly sing one of her favorite songs under her breath. It was the song "Brighter than Sunshine" by Aqualung. Her voice was not the greatest but she wasn't tone deaf. Naruto liked to hear her sing even if she couldn't hit all the notes. Naruto began to sing with her even if he didn't know half the lyrics. By the end of the song both were laughing at their poor attempt to sing it.

Naruto then dragged her over to the slide and had her go down with him. They went down five times before some other children wanted to play on the slide. They went to the teeter totter after that and played on it for a bit. It wasn't the most exciting thing ever but both enjoyed themselves. When Naruto asked for the time Kaya told him it was about six. He decided they should start heading home. Kaya was surprised he wanted to head home so soon but figured he must have really exhausted himself. Nodding her consent they headed towards their apartment.

"Happy Birthday!" was shouted at her once she opened the door. There standing in her apartment was Akira and Eiji with a banner and a spread of food. Akira had even brought his radio and had it playing some of her favorite songs.

"This is all Akira's fault isn't it," Kaya stated once she looked around.

"You could look more excited for your birthday," Eiji told her pouting.

"I am surrounded by idiots," she responded.

"What about me?" Naruto asked with a hurt tone.

"You are not an idiot but you are not surrounding me I am the one surrounding you. I'm older and all that," Kaya replied. Naruto looked confused but was glad his mother didn't think poorly of him. "But seriously Akira is the only one of you three that knew my birthday."

"I figured you'd want to celebrate," Akira replied. "Besides this ensures that in the future if I'm not around these two can annoy you to death on your birthday."

"Sometimes I question why I love you," Kaya retorted.

"Because I'm such an awesome brother."

"_Right_. I don't believe that."

"Whatever cut your cake, make a wish, and all that jazz," he told her rolling his eyes.

"Yeah, cut the cake! I'm seriously hungry," Eiji agreed.

"Shouldn't we eat all the food set on the table first?" Kaya asked raising an eyebrow. "I don't want to be making a bad example for Naruto."

"It's your birthday who cares?" Eiji replied.

Instead of replying Kaya went over to the cake and closed her eyes. _'Please let these moments last despite those two idiots,' _Kaya wished as she blew out the candles. Akira and Eiji whooped before cutting into the cake. She got a small piece while everyone else's was massive. Naruto even had a huge slice of the cake. Kaya figured he had been in on the plot to have a surprise party. The cake was red velvet and she appreciated the thought they must have put into it. It was even shaped like a shuriken. After they had their fill of cake they moved on to the food set on the table. It was a beef stir fry with pork eggrolls and fried rice. Once again all of the foods available were her favorites.

Kaya enjoyed the small talk and banter that occurred during dinner. Some teasing was even added. Naruto would even throw comments in despite not knowing a lot of what Akira and Eiji were talking about. It gave it a familial atmosphere. She kept silent during the meal and observed everything. They were her family even if two of them not by blood. It was odd how well Eiji and Akira got along without meeting each other before. Kaya figured it was due to everyone feeling comfortable around Akira. Watching them have a good time she promised herself she would do anything to protect them.

Opening up her presents came after dinner. They were all presented to her in brightly colored packages. Akira gave her a neon pink package. Inside was a pair of twin blades and underneath them a black and red summer dress. Kaya raised an eyebrow at that but thanked him anyways. Eiji handed over his gift done up in yellow with green polka dots. It was a camera and she noticed a few photos scattered around the bottom of her and the team or Naruto and her. She went over and gave him a hug in gratitude. Finally it was Naruto's turn. He handed her a bright orange package nervously. When she opened it she found a picture of all of them drawn by Naruto along with a hat that looked like a cat. "I love it," Kaya told him. Immediately she put on her new hat.

"Really?" Naruto inquired.

"Absolutely," she replied.

"Akira-nii helped me pick it out and he made the suggestion of making a picture. At first I didn't know what to make but then I remembered that we didn't have many pictures of us so I drew that," Naruto babbled excitedly.

"You did very well," Kaya told him.

"What about me?" Eiji inquired playfully.

"Your gift was alright," Kaya teased. He pouted at her response. "I loved it although sorry but I loved Naruto's more."

"Figured as much."

"To think you were complaining about having a birthday party," Akira told her.

"Whatever. I'm glad you threw it…"

"I knew you would."

**I'm sorry for the long wait. I'm discontinuing this story. I bit off more than I could chew when I started to write this. At first I thought I could make it but then I started my new job and lost inspiration along the way. I'm glad for everyone who supported this and am disappointed in myself for not writing more for this. If anyone wants to adopt this please do. Just tell me and I'll happily give all rights.**


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